ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) on Saturday decided to remove all hate materials in the form of banners or posters from the city to ensure sectarian harmony during Muharram.

The directorate of municipal administration (DMA) has been directed by the top management of the civic body to constitute special teams and check wall-chalking/banners containing hate materials.

“Such materials should immediately be removed and never be allowed at any cost,” chairman CDA Maroof Afzal said while presiding a meeting held to review the arrangements for the month.

The meeting decided to facilitate the mourners and participants of gatherings and processions during Muharram.

“The CDA will fully cooperate with the capital administration and provide all facilities to the participants of the processions,” Mr Afzal added. In this regard, the civic agency has nominated its director general administration as the focal person to coordinate with other departments, including the ICT administration and the police.

The environment wing will ensure that trees on the routes of processions are trimmed to make the passage safe and avoid any inconvenience to the participants.

Similarly, the CDA will ensure the removal of shrubs and bushes and cleanliness of nullahs in the vicinity of the routes of processions.

The meeting decided that the engineering wing would carry out repair work on the routes of the processions.

“The engineering wing will make all the streetlights fully functional in and around imambargahs and on all the designated routes of the processions,” the chairman added.

It was also decided that the water management wing would ensure the availability of potable water on the routes of the processions while the sanitation directorate would devise a plan for cleaning and collecting garbage from the routes of the processions.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2014