KARACHI: The Supreme Court of Pakistan has clamped a complete ban on the grant of permission by any authority to install billboard or hoarding either on public or private property across the city till further orders.

A three-judge bench comprising Justices Amir Hani Muslim, Mushir Alam and Maqbool Baqar had taken up the matter on Tuesday and the court office issued the detailed order on Wednesday.

The order said: “In the intervening period, no billboard or hoarding shall be permitted to be installed on any portion in Karachi either on public or private property till further orders, except temporary banners, flags and buntings expressing national or patriotic sentiments displayed around the city to commemorate the Independence Day. Any authority who will grant permission to any person for installing the billboard or hoarding for the purpose of advertisement shall be proceeded against under the contempt law.”

The bench recalled in its order that the court had earlier on May 5 directed different agencies in Karachi, which had permitted installation of billboards or hoardings on the public properties, to remove them.

It said that the term “public property” was interpreted in the aforesaid order which was again incorporated in the Tuesday’s order as under: “The term ‘public property’ has wide meaning and, therefore, we would like to clarify it in the order to avoid any ambiguity. The term ‘public property’ shall include the following places: “(i) Roads (ii) Sidewalks (iii) Islands in the centre of a road/service lane – including but not limited to ‘Sponsored Islands’ whereby the entire Island is maintained by a private person who displays his name and products on the traffic signs. (iv) Overhead Bridges and Underpasses. (v) Overhead pedestrian walkways/bridges. (vi) Roundabouts – including but not limited to ‘Sponsored Roundabout’ whereby the entire Roundabout is maintained by a private person/or any organization who displays his or their name and products of the traffic signs. (vii) Green Belts/Dividers between a road. (viii) Pedestrian lands. (ix) Nullahs (Storm Water Drains) and the banks of Nullahs (Storm Water Drains) which abut roads. Notes: (i) Traffic signs i.e. signs set up by the Traffic Department providing directions are permissible on these locations but should not be ‘Sponsored Traffic Signs’ i.e. Traffic Signs that are sponsored by private persons and display their name and products on the traffic signs. (ii) Signboards located within a plot not listed above but which in any manner “overhang” any of the areas listed above.”

The bench observed in order that the court had received letters from public complaining that the billboards had not been removed despite court orders.

“In the face of the letters received from the public and to confirm the fact as to whether the billboards or hoardings have been removed from public places and or public properties, we direct the District Judges of Karachi and Malir to submit their reports, confirming or otherwise the removal of billboards and or hoardings with structures in terms of our directives contained in the order dated 05.05.2016.”, the order said.

The order further said: “Likewise, billboards and hoardings have also been installed on the rooftops or hanged on the walls of commercial markets/malls/plazas, abutting the pavements, footpaths and or roads. In case such billboards or hoardings will fall, it will endanger the lives of the masses and also obstruct/distract the view of the drivers while driving their vehicles. We, therefore, direct that in addition to the aforesaid directives contained in our earlier order dated 5.5.2016, the billboards or hoardings installed on the rooftops or hanging on the walls of the commercial markets/malls/plazas, abutting the roads/footpaths, pavement or overshadowing public places in the private properties should also be removed with structure, within one month, by the relevant authorities, who have permitted them to be installed.

Published in Dawn, August 4th, 2016