FAISALABAD, Oct 23: Unknown persons defaced dozens of publicity hoardings in various parts of the district, on Wednesday night.

The boards have been defaced overnight in D-Ground area and on the Circular Road, Jail Road, Railway Road, Club Road and other commercial areas. Hoardings at some places have been damaged as well.

The local and multinational companies have approached the police for taking legal action against the vandals. However, no action has been taken against those involved in the campaign so far.

Interestingly, the hoardings with pictures of girls have been defaced because the vandals call it an insult of women, but no hoarding or board installed with “objectionable pictures” by cinema owners has been touched.

protest: Over two dozen trade organizations have decided to launch a protest movement if the Tehsil Municipal Administration (city) did not withdraw its decision to allot parking contracts of commercial areas.

The decision was announced by All Pakistan Anjuman Tajiran chairman Mian Abdul Mannan, Anjuman Tajiran Faisalabad president Muhammad Nawaz Vohra, Pakistan Yarn Merchants Association chairman Munawwar A. Sheikh, Faiz Mohyuddin, Haji Bashir Ahmad, Sheikh Tallat Mahmood, Tajammal Hussain, Khushi Muhammad and others.

Speaking at a news conference here on Thursday, they alleged that City Nazim Mumtaz Ali Cheema awarded the parking contracts of Katchery Bazaar, Bhawana Bazaar, Aminpur Bazaar, Circular Road and other commercial centres only for minting money at the cost of trade activities of the city.

They said that there was no justification to declare city markets as parking areas. This would badly affect the business in these areas as people would prefer to go to other commercial places for shopping, they added.

They urged Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi to take stock of the situation and direct the City Nazim to immediately withdraw the parking contracts.