ISLAMABAD: The municipal administration has introduced a policy of allowing commercial entities to erect their information boards on road medians that look similar to official road signboards, causing confusion for motorists.

Four such private boards were recently installed on road medians and greenbelts in F-8 Markaz by hotel owners and health centres, raising question marks on the efficiency of the concerned departments of the Capital Development Authority and the Directorate of Municipal Administration (DMA).

Interestingly, all these boards also carried their licence numbers issued by the DMA.

As per the decades-old practice, information boards about names of roads and streets can officially be erected on medians and greenbelts of roads by the CDA to help the citizens. However, now commercial entities have started erecting similar boards of their businesses.

“If the authority allows erecting such boards, action should be taken against those who granted the permission. This is a wrong trend and if action is not taken, in coming years all maidens and greenbelts will see such boards,” said an official.

He said that fixing sign/information boards on medians of roads was the responsibility of CDA’s Market and Road Maintenance Directorate.

“We mention names of markets/roads with white tape on a blue background.

“In sectors, we provide information with blue tape on white background and for government buildings we fix green tape on white boards,” the official said.

When contacted, Assistant Director DMA Liaquat Hayat said that his department had never allowed anyone to install information boards on medians and greenbelts.

“We give permission for installing information boards in front of shops/plazas. In this case, owners of private businesses in question might have gotten permission for installing boards outside their establishments and erected them somewhere else,” he said and added, “we will take action”.

He further said that we have taken action against such signboards in the past and will continue such operations.

Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2024