Team formed to devise code for signboards

Published August 20, 2003

RAWALPINDI, Aug 19: The Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) chairman, Hamid Nawaz, has constituted a team to devise a code to standardize the display of signboards in the city, official sources told Dawn here on Tuesday.

The chairman took the decision of constituting the team during a meeting on Monday, following directives of the chairman of the task force on the beautification of the big cities of the Punjab, Sardar Azam Rashid.

The team, under the supervision of Tehsil municipal officer, will initially take up Murree Road as a pilot project and submit its progress report to the RDA chairman within two days. In the light of the report, the drive will soon be extended to other parts of the city where, according to a recently conducted survey by the authority, more than 56 per cent of the signboards are illegal.

The team will decide about the size and display points of the signboards on all commercial plazas. Those who violate the code, will be fined Rs10,000 under the law. A fine of Rs20,000 will be imposed on those who commit wall-chalking.

Earlier, on July 28, during the second meeting held to review the beautification plan of the city, the task force chairman had directed the RDA chief to make sure that all the illegal and random signboards were immediately removed from all commercial plazas as well as roadsides.