Editorial
Falling billboards !
DCC owes an explanation to citizens
NINE policemen narrowly escaped a fatal accident on Sunday when a collapsing billboard was obstructed by a high voltage electric line and did not, mercifully, come down on them. This is the third billboard collapse in a week in the city. A young man had been crushed to death as a billboard fell on him near Zia International Airport on May 6. It was reportedly a case of the hoarding being flattened by a storm.
Such deaths and injuries caused by falling billboards are really hard to accept. The slightest concern for human life on the part of the agency in charge, the DCC to be precise, is missing here. The latest collapse was not caused by a strong wind, let alone a storm. It was a simple case of the billboard caving in, because it was not strong enough and there was nobody to check that its pillar had become very weak due to rusting.
The callousness and negligence of duty that such mishaps bring into light are indeed indescribable. The dangers associated with a huge structure falling on the roads or footpaths or live electric wires, as it happened in the latest case, need little elaboration. Yet, such accidents are taking place from time to time. And it is not clear what fault the citizens have committed that they will have to walk along the ruptured footpaths with big holes and awkwardly misplaced or protruding concrete blocks, with the danger of metallic boards coming down on them being always there.
The DCC, as usual, has its own defence, even though presence of such menacing billboards can hardly be defended. We are told that out of around 2,200 billboards in the city, the DCC's share is 485, while the rest belong to private owners. Many of the billboards on private buildings are reported to have been erected illegally. But the DCC has so far failed to do anything to put an end to the unlawful practice. What we feel is that even if it cannot force the building owners to go by the rule as far as installation of billboards is concerned, it must ensure that the safety factor is not ignored. It is a question of saving human lives, any hesitation or lack of stern action will lead to more deaths and injuriesa truth that can no longer be overlooked.
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