ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday directed the cantonment boards across the country to remove the structures that used to hold up billboards in six weeks.
A two-member bench of the apex court comprising Justice Gulzar Ahmed and Justice Azmat Saeed heard the case regarding the removal of billboards from all major cities in the country. In October 2018, the apex court had ordered the removal of billboards from public places across the country.
During the course of proceedings, the court asked the counsel for the cantonment board why the structures that used to hold up the billboards in the cities have not been removed.
Justice Gulzar Ahmed remarked that a halfhearted job had been done as the billboards had been removed but the structures that used to hold them up were still present.
The counsel said that advertising companies had been sent notices to remove the structures but none of them had made the effort so far.
He said that the cantonment boards did not have the money required to do this task. It would take Rs1 million for the boards to take the operation on, he added.
Justice Azmat Saeed remarked that tomorrow the police would say the same, that they did not have the money required to arrest criminals. Removing the structures was the responsibility of the cantonment board, he added.
Justice Gulzar Ahmed remarked that if advertising companies were not removing the structures, the cantonment boards should auction the structures off.
The lawyer for the cantonment board assured the court that the structures would be removed.
Later, the court directed the cantonment boards to submit a report regarding the removal of billboards structures in six weeks and adjourned hearing of the case till after summer vacations.
