Eviction notices given to residents of 354 unsafe buildings in Karachi
June 30, 2017
KARACHI: Eviction notices have been issued by the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) to residents of 354 unsafe buildings following the first monsoon spell in the city.
SBCA Director General Agha Maqsood Abbas has imposed emergency in the department, ordering the technical staff to stay on duty around the clock. Besides, the public has been requested to avoid standing near or passing by the endangered buildings.
Even before the recent spell of rain hit the city, the enlisted buildings were declared unsuitable for use, but hundreds of people are using them as if they pose no threat to their lives.
On May 23, SBCA issued a notice banning the construction of high-rise buildings, beyond ground plus two storeys in Karachi. The notice read all such buildings would be considered illegal by the authorities concerned. Earlier, Sindh High Court ordered the SBCA to seize the issuance of new no objection certificates (NOCs) for high-rises in Mirpurkhas district.
The Hyderabad Circuit Bench further ordered the SBCA to create a master plan for Mirpurkhas city before the ban on high-rises could be lifted.
The order had come after a petition was filed by a private citizen Abdul Nasir Khan, a resident of Mirpurkhas district.
During the hearing, a report prepared by the Mirpurkhas commissioner was submitted in the Sindh High Court, according to which 16 high-rises had been built so far in Mirpurkhas.
