KARACHI, Sept 15: As threat of a storm looms large over the city, huge billboards dominating the city’s skyline could cause death and destruction as most of them may crumble in the face of high-speed winds.

On Thursday, a huge bill-board in front of the Hotel Metropole came crumbling down on a day when city experienced strong winds. The bill-board came crashing down over a new car and several other motorcycles parked beneath it. Fortunately no one was in the car at the time of the mishap.

Bill-boards of huge proportions (super bill boards) have been installed almost in every part of the city.

The concentration of such bill-boards is more visible in the cantonment areas where rates are also high.

Since the takeover by City government from the defunct KMC, the business of putting up hoarding and billboards has registered a visible rise.

An unspecific number of super billboards, hoardings, tri-visions and signs at nearly every traffic intersection, no matter big or small, are the visible proof of the success of the business of billboards.

At several busy intersections in the city, tri-visions have been erected on pavements and even at green-belts, causing hindrance to pedestrians.

Former Nazim Jamshad Town, Ahmed Parekh was of the view that advertisers should deposit advance payments in case of accidental loss or injury to public.

“As far as the government is concerned, it gets peanuts in terms of revenue generation from the billboards, whereas the middleman takes home 100 per cent profit,” an official of the city government told Dawn on condition of anonymity.

A town-planner said everywhere in the world there are some ethics and rules for advertising.

He said erection of billboards and hoardings has created a claustrophobic atmosphere in the city, as open spaces and trees are fast disappearing behind the massive advertisement boards.

The unplanned erection of hoardings also tends to block wind and view of the high-rise apartment buildings, he said.

Moreover, they also pose a traffic hazard, as often drivers get distracted by the billboards while driving through the busy intersections, he added.

None of the bylaws, for the billboards and hoardings are being followed while putting up these huge structures in the city.

According to the proposed by-laws for the billboard and hoardings, no sign or advertisement should be so designed or displayed, if it is detrimental to the environment artificial or natural or to the amenity of the neighbourhood by reason or either size, intensity, frequency, illumination, quality of design or material or for any other reasons.

The billboard would not be allowed where it may obscure or conceal any other sign approved in terms of these bylaws, or in any way impair the visibility of any road traffic sign or cause the driver to be distracted.

Referring to the spacing of billboards, the bylaws suggest that at major thoroughfare spacing of billboards should be at least 300 feet on the same side of the road on a straight section.

Similarly, on minor roads, spacing of billboards should be at least 250 feet.