Daily Times

KARACHI: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has issued a letter to the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) director general seeking details of all its 400 officers, including the DG, working in all 21 zones of the city.

These include directors, their deputies and assistants, and inspectors of all towns.

The purpose is to start an inquiry on allegations that these officials were involved in illegally converting residential property to commercial as well as receiving kickbacks of allotment of permits.

The request was communicated to the SCBA by Mirza Saqib Baig, a deputy director at NAB, through a letter on February 13. The SCBA DG has been asked to furnish details of officials including names, CNIC numbers, mobile phone numbers, office address and current postings.

The letter says that failure to comply with the directive will lead to action under Section 2 of the National Accountability Ordinance of 1999.

Sarwer Ahmed Khan, an assistant director at NAB, has been nominated as the investigation officer in the case.

The SBCA had earlier undertaken a departmental inquiry in which 54 officials in basic pay scale grade 14-17 were found involved in illegal construction

Once the details have been furnished, these officials will be called for interrogation at the NAB Karachi headquarters. NAB officials say that a case has already been registered against in the matter and a reference will soon be submitted in the NAB court.

Among other things, SCBA officials are accused of condoning construction of commercial wedding halls and lawns on amenity plots reserved for healthcare (hospital and clinics) and educational (school, college) infrastructure.

A bill passed by the Sindh Assembly (SBCA Amendment Bill) on February 2, 2014, had paved the way for these actions. The gazette notification issued for the bill on March 20, 2014, had enabled the authority to draw up master plans for all districts of Karachi on its own.

Subsequently, objections were raised by the secretary concerned, civic departments and civil society activists, but the authority proceeded with commercialisation across the city in return for alleged kickbacks.

The SBCA had, nonetheless, undertaken a departmental inquiry in which 54 officials in basic pay scale grade 14-17 were found involved in illegal construction. These officials were demoted as a punishment. No action was taken against the higher ups, without whose approval none of the illegal permits could have been issued in the first place.

Sources in the SCBA who were privy to the details of the inquiry told Daily Times that over 60,000 commercial-residential buildings in all 21 zones of city were constructed illegally in contravention of building by-laws and without approval of their building plans.

Based on information gathered from the SCBA and the NAB, illegal construction of high rise buildings has taken place in pretty much every other neighbourhood of the city. The areas with most concentration of illegal buildings are 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.

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, and Dulara.

Published in Daily Times, February 17^th 2018.