LAHORE: The Punjab government amended on Tuesday the Parks and Horticulture Authority (PH A) Act through an ordinance, empowering the authority to give on lease any portion of any park for commercial purposes for any period of time.

Officially it was stated that the law had been amended to harmonise some of its provisions with the present day necessities and for incidental purposes.

Sources in the government said in economic terms the ordinance gave further powers to the authority to allow commercial activity in parks.

The ordinance omits section 2 (b) which defines advertisement.

It substitutes subsection 6 of section 10 providing `Notwithstanding anything contained in subsection (3) and subsection (4), the Authority may, for such `initial or extended period and on payment of such fee as the authority may prescribe`, grant permission for the deployment of an allocated area of a public park for provision of food, playing facilities, sale of plants, horticultural equipment, books orfor any otherpurpoself that activity does not adversely affect the ambiance, character and outlool( of the public park`.The original (now deleted) section 6 says: `Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (3) and sub-section (4), the authority may grant permission for using a public park for provision of food, playing facilities, sale of plant s, horticultural equipment or books or such other purpose on payment of fees if the said permission does not adversely affect the general outlook of the public park`.

Amendment in section 12 (a) says: in subsection (4), for the words `twelve months`, the words `such period as the authority may determine or as may be prescribed` shall be substituted.

The actual altered section say: `The permission for installation of billboard, sky sign or outdoor advertisement shall include such safety measures as may be determined by the authority or as may be prescribed, and `shall not, in any case, exceed a period of twelve months`.

A new subsection (9) says: `The Authority may lease, in the prescribed manner, any of its sites or poles, for outdoor advertisement, for such initial or extended period and on such terms and conditions as the Authority may determine or as may be prescribed` `The authority has been authority to freely indulge in business,` quipped an official.