Daily Times

KARACHI: The Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) has received 156 new building plans despite order of Supreme Court on the ban on high-rise buildings, officials of the authority have disclosed.

In addition, other cities of Sindh including Mirpurkhas, Larkana, Sukkar, Benazirabad and Hyderabad besides Karachi have been entrained with their respective fresh plans of high rise buildings and in this connection, no objection certificates hade been issued to them by SBCA.

On condition of anonymity the officials revealed that SBCA has issued 51 NOCs for public sale of housing and commercial projects without observing Environmental Screening Certificates (ESC) of Sindh Environmental Protection Agency during 2016 to date.

The Authority also violated prescribed rules and procedures of entity in respect of designs and provided NOCs to builders and developers for construction high rise during this period.

Violating regulations, SBCA facilitated constructors of high rise in Karachi with NOCs despite ban on such construction by SC.

The Authority has been forbidden providing NOC for construction of buildings beyond ground plus 2-storey. Such violations were also made in providing illegal NOCs to builders and constructors of Hyderabad and other cities in Sindh as well.

SBCA issued NOCs on obtaining invalid/without SBCA and Association of Builders and Developers licenses, in violation of rules besides SBCA also obtained invalid/without Association of Builders and Developers license from concerned builders.

In addition SCBA did not bother while awarding NOCs whether seeker had NOC from Civil Aviation Authority as Aviation Authority does not permit in most of the cases falling under it limits on ground of prohibited areas and high rise may cause danger to flight operation.

Zain Mailk (power attorney and authorised director of Bahria Town (Pvt) Limited, Bahria Golf City, Lord Vista, KASB Developers, SB Builders and Developers, Saima Tower, Saima Fine Tower, Tower Empire Boulevard, Ocean Shamsi, Dulara Empire, Chayell Bridge View, The Court Regency, Fatima Heights, Heaven Hotel, Heaven Mega Mall and Residence District Hyderabad, Heaven Heights Qasimabad, Yameen Residensia Latifabad, Hania Heights Hyderabad, Usman Icon, Mirpurkhas and many others in cities of Sindh were among the builders and constructors, who have been given NOCs.

The larger bench of Apex Court understanding the gravity of the issue, took up the application filed by Builders and Developers and allowed them for constructing building upto 6 floors, which has given sigh of relief to construction industry of Karachi.

Chairman, Association of Builders and Developers of Pakistan, Arif

Yousuf Jeewa, highly appreciating decision of SC for allowing construction of buildings upto 6 floors in Karachi, has said that decision of learned judges of the Apex Court would have far-reaching impact on construction industry as thousands of people would get jobs. He also expressed his hope that SC would revisit decision of ban on high-rise buildings in mega city soon. He said that construction activities in city had came to a halt and almost Rs 900 billion of investment was fridge as a result thousands of people including architects, engineers and workers had lost jobs.

He recalled that the construction activities in Karachi had came to a halt and more than 70 allied industries were also facing crisis-like situation due to ban on construction of high-rise in Karachi.

Sindh government and concerned department to take quick action to remove water crisis in Karachi, he expressed.

Most of the residential cum commercial building have been either completed or under completion in parts of city where there is restriction for high rise.

High density zone (Ribbon), are those areas, facing coastal line of block 1,2,3 and 4 Clifton, parallel within marine promenade and oil pipeline preservation.

It is on record that only 7 such high rise buildings have been built in declared Ribbon areas in the last seven years. And on the contrary, around 585 such buildings above 9-storeys whether have been completed or under construction outside the declared density zone areas. High Density Committee consists of Governor Sindh, Chief Minister, Local Government Minister, Chief Secretary, Secretary Local Government, Mayor, and a member of Board of Revenue Sindh, concerned area officers, urban town planner and Director General SBCA.

The areas where high rise buildings were constructed including Surjani Town, North Karachi, New Karachi, North Nazimabad, Nazimabad, Old Golimar, Pak Colony, Liaquatabad, Shershah, SITE area, F B Area, most of the Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulistan-e-Jauher, Malir, Model Colony, Shah Faisal, Landhi and Korangi, Mahmoodabad, Manzoor Colony, KDA scheme I, Dhoraji Colony, Sindhi Muslim, Bahadurabad, land under control of Bihar Cooperative Society, Karachi Administration Society, Muslimabad, Jamsheed Quarters, PIB Colony, Soldier Bazaar, Pakistan Quarters, Ranchore Lines, Garden east and west, Kharadar and Mithadar, Lyari, Chakiwara, Agra Taj Colony, Bakra Piri, Mera Naka, Mianwali Colony, Bihar Colony, Burns Road, Railway Colony, PIDC, Old Clifton, Civil Lines, and Shahra-e-Faisal.

Published in Daily Times, January 17^th 2018.