Despite cyclone warning, dangerous billboards yet to be taken down

On the very day when Cyclone Shaheen in the Arabian Sea started showing its effects in Karachi, the commissioner’s office sprang into action, ordering immediate comprehensive inspection and removal of billboards and hoardings throughout the city.

The order came on Thursday after strong winds had already uprooted a few street light poles in different parts of the city. Until the filing of this story, Karachi Administrator Murtaza Wahab had not ordered the removal of any shop signage, which are the responsibility of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and the district municipal corporations (DMCs).

According to the administrative order issued by Karachi Commissioner Navid Ahmed Sheikh in compliance with the Supreme Court’s order, and in the wake of the alert of tropical cyclone Shaheen, all deputy commissioners of Karachi Division have been directed to immediately undertake within their respective jurisdictions a comprehensive survey through qualified engineers of all the billboards and hoardings installed alongside main roads, on the faces of high-rise buildings and on the roofs of high-rises or elsewhere.

“The deputy commissioners are liable to get any billboards or hoardings thus found dangerous immediately removed in order to avoid any loss of precious human life or damage to public or private property, and furnish reports to this office.”

Repeated orders

Huge billboards sticking out from private buildings continue to dot Karachi’s skyline and pose serious threats to passers-by. Meanwhile, humongous shop signage exceeding their mandated dimensions are ubiquitous as well.

The city administration has so far miserably failed to remove such hazardous billboards and shop signage despite the SC’s repeated directions. This May, after a cyclone warning, the then city commissioner had also issued directives for the removal of all hazardous billboards and shop signage, but they fell on deaf ears.

In August last year, two motorcyclists had been severely injured near the Metropole Hotel in District South after a billboard affixed to a building fell on top of them during a thunderstorm. After the incident, two officers of the South DMC had been suspended for illegally issuing billboard permits. The SC also took suo motu notice of the incident and ordered removing all such advertisements and shop signboards that pose a threat.

Futile committees

After the incidents, committees were formed in all DMCs to ensure that laws and rules regarding the installation of billboards and hoardings on private properties are strictly implemented.

The committee members included executive engineers of the respective DMCs, sub-engineers, advertisement directors — whose particular job, according to the notification, a copy of which is available with The News, was to check and ensure compliance with court orders, and issue challans and approvals, and permission if all formalities are according to the law — and office assistants of the advertisement departments.

2018 operation

In December 2018, the KMC had cracked down on signboards, shop signage and neon signs on shops, restaurants and other structures throughout the city. Later, however, all of these were restored.

KMC Anti-Encroachment Senior Director Bashir Siddiqui had earlier told The News that whenever they try to remove such shop signage, shop owners produce challans issued by the DMCs.

He had claimed that the DMCs have been illegally issuing shop owners with challans, and in some cases, the shopkeepers have been greasing the palms of DMC officials and not even submitting challans.

Talking to The News on Thursday, the senior director pointed out that no order particularly for the removal of shop signage had been issued by any relevant authority.

Current situation

Shahrah-e-Pakistan and Sher Shah Suri Road in District Central have scores of gigantic billboards and shop signage protruding from private properties. The top court’s orders are being blatantly violated in District East, which falls under the jurisdictions of the East DMC and the Cantonment Board Faisal.

University Road, Stadium Road, Bahadurabad, Tariq Road, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulistan-e-Jauhar and Sharea Faisal are also riddled with numerous huge billboards that are protruding from multi-storey buildings.

In District South, which falls under the jurisdictions of the South DMC, the Cantonment Board Clifton and the Karachi Cantonment Board, several such billboards and shop signage can be observed along Sharea Faisal and in the Saddar, DHA and other areas. The Malir, Korangi, West and Keamari districts are no exception.

Talking to The News, the additional commissioner-I pointed out that there is a standing order from the commissioner’s office against the installation of hazardous billboards. He shared how there are teams at DMC level that keep monitoring such structures.

Central DMC Administrator Ali Zaidi said that they have already issued warnings to the advertisers, while their engineering department is carrying out surveys. Meanwhile, the Central DMC advertisement director has issued orders to all advertisers for removing all advertisements on an urgent basis as part of cyclone precautionary measures.

“In case of any failure, the department will not be responsible for any accident due to the forecast because the department has not given permission, and the advertiser will be responsible for any kind of loss,” reads the letter.