RAWALPINDI, May 7: The Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA) has cancelled the contract for collection of ‘billboard tax’ because of irregularities and default on behalf of the contractor.

According to a statement issued here, the TMA has stopped as of Thursday the receipt of the tax.

A spokesman for the TMA said, the administration had given the billboard tax contract for the year 2002-03 to Raja Gul Nawaz for an amount of Rs9.05 million.

He said the tax was cancelled because of delay in payment of instalments according to the terms of the contract and conniving in the installation of illegal boards without the prior approval of the TMA besides receipt of illegal sums of money in this connection.

He further said the contractor did not change his modus operandi on account of which the TMA, going by the terms of the law, cancelled the contract for violation of the terms with immediate effect.

He said that accordingly the TMA informed the citizens not to pay any sort of board tax to the contractor.