Advertisement sites: CDA vacates four stay orders

ISLAMABAD:

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) on Friday managed to vacate four stay orders granted by the courts to illegal occupants of lucrative advertisement sites across the capital.

During the last two weeks, the courts had issued stay orders against a total of 14 advertisement sites, out of 200, on contractors’ petitions, which had been cancelled by CDA’s Municipal Administration Directorate to auction them through open auction. If the stay orders are not vacated, it would cause an annual loss of over Rs26 million.

Previously, advertisement sites used to be awarded to favourites at throwaway prices. During the outgoing financial year, the CDA received only Rs260 million from these hoardings, sources said.

“Out of 200 identified sites, a number of sites have already been auctioned and the authority has collected over Rs380 million during the first quarter of 2012-2013,” said Municipal Administration Director Hamza Shafqat. “If  all stay orders are vacated, we’re optimistic that the target of Rs1.5 billion revenue may be achieved this year through these sites.”

The judicial commission formed by the Islamabad High Court to look into the CDA’s affairs, had recommended cancellation of all contracts awarded without adhering to the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority rules.

Earlier, The Express Tribune had reported that a controversial clause pertaining to functions of the proposed metropolitan corporation has been incorporated in the under- consideration Local Government Act, 2013. The act states that the corporation shall regulate affixing of advertisements in areas which do not fall under the CDA’s purview.

Documents show that the CDA at present has around 2,376 advertisement sites including billboards, bridge panels, median poles, rooftop billboards, side poles, bus shelters, tri-vision, underpasses and pedestrian bridges.

Out of the 2,376 sites, around 306 are on the Islamabad Expressway, 542 along the Kashmir Highway, 303 along the Margalla Road, 239 along the IJ Principal Road, 243 along 9th Avenue, 207 along Jinnah Avenue, 189 along 7th Avenue, while the rest are on Faisal Avenue, Murree Road.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 28^th, 2013.