KARACHI, March 20: The Sindh government has decided to enforce a uniform policy for installation of hoarding and advertisement boards by commercial concerns in all towns of the city.

A meeting held here on Wednesday, under the chairmanship of chief secretary Javed Ashraf Hussain, discussed the ways and means to ensure a uniform policy in this respect.

The chief secretary expressed concern over the haphazard growth of hoarding and advertisement boards in the city, especially after August 14 2001. The meeting was informed that a task force had formulated comprehensive policy guidelines and by-laws, which were to be adopted by the towns.

It was decided that all Town Nazims would ensure adoption of the advertisement by-laws prepared by the task force through their town councils. The Town Nazims will be responsible for enforcing the advertisement by-laws in their jurisdictions and income under this head would be utilized by the town administration.

It was also decided that Town Nazims would immediately carry out a detailed survey to pinpoint illegal advertisement boards in their jurisdictions.

The City Nazim will exercise an overall check over the execution of the advertisement policy and will carry out audit of permissions given by the Town Nazims through the master plan department of the city government.

The Town Nazims will ensure that there is no fresh permission for installation of hoarding and advertisement boards and the contracts due to lapse by June 30, 2002, shall not be renewed till the adoption of the new by-laws.

City Nazim, secretary local government, director-general of Sindh Kutchi Abadi Authority, district coordination officer Karachi, and Town Nazims of Saddar, Jamshed, North Nazimabad, Shah Faisal, Gulberg, Liaquatabad, and Gulshan attended the meeting.—PPI