KARACHI, June 26: The Defence Housing Authority and the Clifton Cantonment Board (CBC) held a meeting with representatives of different advertising companies and decided to remove at least 100 hoardings from their jurisdiction during the current rainy season.

The meeting discussed modalities for the removal of all hoardings within 24 hours, said a press release. The meeting was presided over by Khwaja Iftikhar Ahmed Mir, chief executive officer of the CBC, and attended by 25 owners of different companies.

Officials said the decision was taken in view of the danger posed to the safety of people by the structurally weak hoardings.

The advertisers assured the administration of their full cooperation in voluntarily removing the hoardings.

According to a DHA spokesman, the DHA and CBC have intensified measures to de-water the rain-affected areas.

A DHA press statement said that this year due to timely cleaning/desiltation and structural repairs of drains the stormwater drainage was quite smooth and the situation was much better compared to the last year’s, especially in Clifton blocks 8 and 9.

However, it said, some commercial streets in DHA Phase IV, Tauheed Commercial, Khayaban-i-Shujaat, Khayaban-i-Hilal and Naval Housing Scheme were the worst-hit areas. The maximum resources, including tankers, mobile hydrants, suction pumps, cesspool vehicles, excavators and jack hammers, have been employed to drain out water from the inundated areas.

DHA officials appealed to the residents to avoid throwing cut down/fallen trees on the roads, which adversely affected the natural flow of storm-water drains.

RELIEF ACTIVITIES: Sindh Relief Commissioner Syed Anwar Haider on Tuesday said that the provincial government had released Rs71 million for immediate relief activities in the province while more funds would be released after the final assessment of losses caused by the heavy rains and windstorm in Karachi and other parts of the province, adds APP.