Removal of all billboards, hoardings in Karachi: Supreme Court rejects plea seeking extension of deadline

The Supreme Court (SC), on Wednesday rejected the plea of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) and all cantonment boards for extending the June 30 deadline for removal of all billboards, signboards and hoardings in the city.
Resuming, hearing on various review petitions regarding billboards, a three-member bench headed by SC Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, Justice Amir Hani Muslim and Justice Faisal Arab accepted advertising companies pleas to be a party in the case. Earlier, the apex court had ordered the KMC and all cantonment boards to remove all billboards, signboards and hoardings from across the metropolitan Karachi by June 30 with the remarks that the law does not allow billboards and signboards to be erected on public property.
The apex court also had earlier issued directives to the Additional Attorney General, Salman Talibuddin and provincial law officer Nisar Ahmed Durrani to hold meetings with concerned civic authorities and advertising firms to propose amendments to the bylaws pertaining to erecting of billboards/signboards on public property and also to ensure uniformity and public safety measures.
On Wednesday, during the apex court proceedings, respondents, KMC and others pleaded with the three-member bench to grant further time to implement court directives regarding removal of all billboards from across the city. Turning down the plea, Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali observed that every year incidents of billboards crashing down and claiming human lives are reported by the press, adding, that when loss to human life is caused due to such negligence, the government departments are never held responsible and the accident is dismissed as the will of God.
Justice Amir Hani Muslim, said that nothing is more sacred than the protection of citizens life and property, and added that despite the apex court earlier having issued directives to remove every billboard/ signboard in the city, a further 5,000 billboards were erected in areas under the jurisdiction of the KMC and cantonment boards, thus flouting SC directives.
Also, a lawyer representing an advertising company apprised the court that his client paying from his own pocket erected billboards and hoardings on bridges and requested to be a party to the case. Later, Justice Amir Hani Muslim while accepting his plea said, the apex court only has reservation over the Sindh government private-public partnership. Later, after reviewing a report from the provincial chief law officer on removal of the billboards/signboards the court adjourned proceedings.