The petitioner argued that the policy of auctioning sites and charging extra fee was beyond the authority of the cantonment board, which has acted against the provisions of the Cantonment Act 1924. PHOTO: EXPRESS/FILE
The Sindh High Court has issued notice to the defence ministry and Clifton Cantonment Board (CBC) for auctioning outdoor advertisement sites within its territorial jurisdictions.
The Sindh Outdoor Advertisers Association had challenged the cantonment board’s policy to auction the advertisement sites through bidding, claiming it was violation of laws. The association claimed that with phenomenal increase in commercial activities, the business of its 199 members of outdoor advertiser companies had also boomed. Although, some legislation was done by the then city district government Karachi to regulate outdoor advertisements, the Clifton cantonment board did nothing. The association said that it had come to know that the cantonment board had published public notices in newspapers, inviting bidders for open auction of the advertisement sites.
The petitioner argued that the policy of auctioning sites and charging extra fee was beyond the authority of the cantonment board, which has acted against the provisions of the Cantonment Act 1924.
The court was asked to declare the policy illegal and permanently restrain the board’s officials from auctioning sites.
Headed by Justice Muib Akhtar, the bench issued notice to the defense ministry, Clifton Cantonment Board’s Chief executive officer to file their comments by August 16.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 7th, 2013.
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