The Sindh High Court (SHC) restrained on Wednesday the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) from hacking the trees along the city’s roadsides and pavements to make space for advertising hoardings.
A division bench headed by Justice Sajjad Ali Shah gave this restraining order while hearing a petition filed by an advertising firm which moved the court against civic administration for unlawfully cutting the trees at the sides of the roads.
The bench also issued notice to the respondents – local government secretary, KMC administrator, and KMC’s municipal commissioner and others to file their respective replies to the petition.
The counsel for the petitioner submitted that the civic authorities were misusing their powers and issuing licences for advertising billboards along the roadsides by chopping down the trees at the sides of the roads. He added the authorities were damaging the greenery and environment for the commercial purposes.
He told the judges that the strong acids were being used to kill the trees due to which the greenery was vanishing in the city. All these activities were illegal, he said, while pleading the court to restrain the KMC from cutting the trees to give way to the commercial activities.