LAHORE, March 26: The Parks and Horticulture Authority, which approves all outdoor advertising in Lahore, has vowed to review the placement of giant Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) screens around the city after coming under fire from the media, citizens and even government agencies who claim that, in contravention to the PHA policy, they were not consulted in the first place.

The screens have generated controversy in recent months after claims that they distract drivers and that the diesel generators which power them create noise and air pollution. They are hired out by the PHA to private companies who sell advertising to clients at around Rs150 per minute, according to one contractor.

Usman Ghani, deputy director of marketing at the PHA told Dawn: “All applications for the placement of LCD screens go through the PHA director general, and in certain cases they are reviewed through a committee brought together by the chief minister, which includes

TEPA, traffic police, the Environmental Protection Agency and architect Nayyar Ali Dada.”