Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) has decided to issue no objection certificates (NOC) for reactivating commercial construction activity by builders and developers. Following a protest rally led by members of Association of Builders And Developers (ABAD) Pakistan towards the office of KWSB’s managing director, KWSB sat down to negotiate with ABAD. Later, KWSB announced that in the first phase, 127 pending applications filed to apply for a NOC would be approved within 24 hours after scrutiny. Under a goodwill gesture, KWSB issued three NOCs to ABAD members and assured them that more NOCs would be issued within a timespan of seven days. Reportedly, a committee led by KWSB deputy managing director Asadullah Khan would consider applications for issuance of NOCs. However, Sindh Minister for Local Government Saeed Ghani termed the ABAD protest ‘illegal’ and said that the ban on the issuance of NOCs was imposed in line with the directives of the Supreme Court (SC) and its water commission. He advised ABAD to lodge its submissions to SC and Water Commission for redressal of their grievances. The NOCs are required for completion of layout plans and other allied formalities laid down by Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) for initiating construction work on commercial projects and housing units. As per reports, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) parliamentarian Alamgir Khan, members of ABAD, senior members of Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Karachi Chambers of Commerce and Industry, real estate and allied people played a positive role for issuance of NOCs during the meeting with KWSB. KWSB managing director (MD) Khalid Mahmood Sheikh said that it would be mandatory for every applicant seeking a NOC to deposit 25 percent of total cost of water connection. He further said that the authorities would follow agreed terms of accord signed between ABAD and KWSB in this regard.He said that NOC was stopped on technical grounds but now it was decided that approval should be granted. ABAD chairman Hassan Bakhshi said that due to stoppage of construction activity during the last ten months, investment of Rs 600 billion (bn) had been halted and more than100 allied industries including 70 steel re-rolling units suffered financial loss. “The supply of iron and steel, bars and tiles and ceramic wares also declined due to stoppage of high rise construction in city,” he maintained. Dr Farooq Sattar of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) while addressing the protestors demanded that the authorities review their stance on stopping construction activity as a large number of skilled and semi-skilled workers besides civil engineers had been deprived of their earnings. He also said that Sindh government should initiate work on K-IV project and 65 million gallon water (MGD) supply per day project on war footings in order to supply water to city as well as builders for their construction projects. SC had imposed a ban on new water connections and construction of high rise buildings on March 16, 2017. In January 2018, ban was lifted by SC after reviewing appeals from different public quarters and only ground to six story buildings was allowed. However, KWSB in defiance of Supreme Court’s directives for restoration of new water connections, had not yet lifted ban on water connections. Published in Daily Times, November 23rd 2018.