DMA to engage company for city branding on national days to end monopoly.

Islamabad -- After remaining under the criticism for many years for its shaky deals, the Directorate of Municipal Administration is going to procure the services of a company for the outdoor branding and event management on national days through competitive process on the special instruction of the Administrator.

A tender in this regard has already been flouted to get bids from well-reputed firms on rate running basis for the provision of illumination, lighting, decoration arrangement and city branding as per requirement on national days like Kashmir Solidarity Day, Pakistan Day, Independence Day and Black Day and on the occasion of the VVIP'S delegations visit to Pakistan.

Earlier, such campaigns were being given to blue-eyed contractors on single quotation basis by citing urgency as the reason behind and in most of the cases the directorate came under fire for making shaky deals.

It was alleged that the contractor with the help of DMA officers not only gets tenders but also charges very high rates as there was no competition in the past.

Meanwhile, it is also evident from the record that some influential contractors also created a monopoly over the system and earned millions of rupees in the past but without going into any competition.

As for instance in year 2022, about 80 percent of outdoor branding and event management was given to a certain company, which came under spotlight for getting dual payment as well and resultantly the same was blacklisted.

Not only this but Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Irfan Nawaz Memon, who is the Administrator of the Metropolitan Corporation as well had expressed his displeasure over the poor state of affairs and removed a director and the...