PTI’s Shamim Naqvi says Sindh govt responsible for Karachi buildings collapse

Opposition leader in the Sindh Assembly, Firdous Shamim Naqvi has placed the blame of the multiple buildings’ collapse in Karachi’s Golimar area on the provincial government, reported The News.

“The Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) is an unlawful and incompetent body which should be abolished,” Naqvi told The News on Sunday.

Naqvi said before the abolishment of the body, those SBCA officials who have been involved in corrupt practices should be held accountable for the loss of lives in the Golimar tragedy.

Naqvi termed the existence of the SBCA illegal with around 90% of the business coming from building projects in Karachi, while only 10% was from the rest of the province.

Read also: Karachi buildings collapse: Death toll rises to 27, as 51 others wounded

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) leader further said the Karachi mayor should be given the authority to supervise the affairs of buildings in Karachi. “I want the formation of the Karachi Building Authority which should be run by the city mayor along with the Karachi Development Authority,” Naqvi said.

To ensure justice and transparency, he said, every city in Sindh should have its building authority in place of the SBCA.

For now, Naqvi said, Nasir Hussain Shah, the Sindh minister for local government was running the affairs of the SBCA and reporting back to the cabinet and Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah.

“If strict action is not taken against the corrupt officials the situation cannot be improved,” the PTI leader said, adding that a naib qasid had told a court that a controller of the SBCA was living in a building worth millions and had deposited millions of rupees to banks in cash.

Read also: Death toll from Karachi buildings collapse rises to 18

“How can a government official afford to live in a bungalow worth millions of rupees without committing corruption,” Naqvi remarked. “All these culprits should first be hanged in public and then the demolition of illegal buildings should start.”

Naqvi also called for a complete survey to be made by “neutral authorities to ascertain how illegal apartments were allowed by the SBCA”.

The authorities, either retired or in service, are involved in corruption should be strictly punished, Naqvi remarked. 

“These corrupt officials are also responsible for incidents like the Golimar tragedy,” he said, adding that PTI will make efforts to ensure compensation for the families.

Originally published in The News