KARACHI, June 26: A group of around 20 persons, protesting against the auction of outdoor hoardings, broke glasses on the ground floor of Civic Centre on Saturday.

According to EDO Revenue Mohammed Waseem, City Nazim Naimatullah Khan had issued directive for auctioning of outdoor hoardings in large interest of citizens.

He said that the city government wanted to streamline the system of outdoor hoardings, but, some elements having vested interests resorted to violence to sabotage the process.

The protesters were raising slogans in the parking compound against city nazim and city government officials for their alleged role to deprive thousands of people of their livelihood by giving the hoarding in the hands of a few people of their choice. They turned violent when they were stopped by security personnel of city government. They smashed the windowpanes of main glass door of Civic Centre.

Security staff of the city government seemed helpless to stop the protesters, who entered the first floor and damaged city nazim office.

However, the city government continued the auctioning, the EDO said, and added that the highest bidder would be awarded contract for outdoor hoardings.

Rangers and police were called to handle the situation, who resorted to baton charge to disperse the protesters, some of the protesters sustained minor injuries. Around 20 protesters were arrested by police for damaging the nazim secretariat.

Some protesters talking to the news agencies said that auction of hoarding was illegal and maintained that some vested interests in the city government were involved in awarding the contract to people of their choice.

They demanded of the city government to immediately stop the auction, and vowed to continue their struggle if the decision was not reversed.

Saeed Ghani and Zahid Saeed, members of hoarding auction committee, termed the act of damaging nazim secretariat shameful and said that FIR would be registered against those, involved in destruction activities.

They said that the growing number of hoardings was giving a bad look to the city and the auction was initiated primarily to make the process transparent.

According to a press release issued by the city government, one security personnel was injured in the attack by protesters. It termed the destruction of nazim office a well-planned conspiracy to disturb the hoarding auction meeting. -PPI/APP