KARACHI: Karachi Commissioner Syed Hassan Naqvi has ordered a fresh citywide crackdown on illegal billboards and hoardings, warning advertisers to bring their structures within the law or face criminal charges.
The order came at a meeting the commissioner chaired at his office, where officials presented the findings of a new district-wise survey of unauthorised hoardings across the city.
The survey listed 224 illegal billboards: 81 in District Central, 80 in District East, 47 in District South and 16 in District West. The count is nearly four times the 55 illegal billboards an earlier survey found this year, and it gives the Karachi illegal billboards crackdown its starting point.
Dawn first reported the commissioner’s decisions at the meeting.
What the new survey found in the Karachi illegal billboards crackdown
Assistant Commissioner General Waqas Abbasi told the meeting the fresh survey was ordered to identify violations, check compliance and build a plan to stop future breaches. Commissioner Naqvi reviewed photographs of individual billboards and pointed out the specific violation in each case.
The jump from 55 to 224 is stark. The earlier survey this year had listed only 55 billboards for removal: 20 each in South and East, nine in Central and six in Korangi. The new survey counts nearly four times as many, with Central and East now topping the list.
For Karachi residents, the drive could mean safer footpaths and less cluttered roadsides, if it is followed through. Oversized and poorly maintained hoardings have long been a hazard in the city, especially during strong winds and monsoon rains.
What happens to violators
Commissioner Naqvi ordered strict compliance with the laws governing billboard installation. He directed all 25 Town Municipal Corporations, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, cantonment boards and development authorities to enforce the rules.
He warned that FIRs would be registered under the Sindh Public Property (Removal of Encroachment) Act against chief executive officers of advertising agencies behind the violations, and against officials who issued permits in breach of the rules.
The meeting decided that all illegal billboards in the South and East districts would be removed immediately. Structures with only minor deficiencies would be allowed to stay, provided the faults were fixed.
Deputy commissioners of all four districts briefed the meeting on enforcement measures in their areas. The meeting also reviewed plans for vigilance committees of qualified architectural engineers at KMC and all 25 TMCs. Notifications have arrived from 14 TMCs so far, and the remaining 11 have been told to act at once.
Rules for hoardings on public land
The meeting clarified that no billboard or hoarding can be installed on public property. In this context, public property covers roads, footpaths, road islands and medians, green belts, roundabouts, pedestrian walkways, drains and their banks, and other public places, except pedestrian bridges.
The restrictions cover all billboards at public locations, including electronic billboards and ground-level structures. The meeting also adopted a zero-tolerance policy for dangerous structures that break the law, whether on public or private land.
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The Red Line BRT project is moving again, with the stalled Lot 2 contract expected to be awarded within a month.
City authorities have also been clearing public spaces elsewhere in the country. Roadblocks in the twin cities were cleared as police pulled back, restoring normal traffic.
In other news from the city, Mir Raza’s family has demanded an independent JIT and the release of the inquiry report.
Frequently asked questions
How many illegal billboards were found in Karachi?
A fresh district-wise survey found 224 illegal billboards: 81 in Central, 80 in East, 47 in South and 16 in West.
What action will be taken against violators?
FIRs will be registered under the Sindh Public Property (Removal of Encroachment) Act against the chief executive officers of the responsible advertising agencies and officials who issued unlawful permits.
Can an illegal billboard be regularised?
Only structures with minor deficiencies may stay, and only after the faults are corrected. All other illegal billboards face removal.
