Builders fail to persuade SBCA to lift high-rise ban

Talks between the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) and the Association of Builders and Developers (ABAD) over the recently imposed ban on high-rise buildings in Karachi yielded no result on Tuesday, with the authority saying it had to comply with court orders.

This was disclosed to The News by Senior Vice Chairman Mohammad Hasan Bakhsh of ABAD. He said the common man had been badly affected by the ban on multi-storey buildings.

He said: “Millions of people from all over Pakistan, including Karachi, will not able to get their flats completed due to the sudden ban imposed by the SBCA on high-rise buildings. Their dream of having their own flats will not be fulfilled despite making payments. They have no choice but approach court for justice.”

Bakhsh maintained that the restriction was announced all of a sudden when no-objection certificates (NOCs) had not finally been approved for many people.

He quoted SBCA Director Agha Maqsood Abbas as saying that he could not withdraw the ban because it had been imposed on the apex court orders.

When asked how the common man was affected by the restriction, he said: “For example, a person has booked third and the fourth floor in a multi-storey residential building, but due to this ban, the construction of flats has stopped. If the buyer who has made all payments demands possession of his flat, the builder will not be able to do so.”

Bakhsh was of the view that the SBCA decision would cause a decrease in the government revenue and create a law and order problem.

When his attention was drawn to a common observation that in the SBCA there was rampant corruption and ABAD was “part and parcel of this corruption”, he said: “Name any organisation in Pakistan where there is no corruption.”

He said ABAD had expressed serious reservations over the ban because “it has stopped future transactions and everything is at a standstill”.

Bakhsh said: “We demand of the SBCA not to withdraw the NOCs that have already been issued, and if at all NOCs are issued ABAD should be taken into confidence.”

Meeting with mayor

An ABAD delegation, led by its chairman, Mohsin Shaikhani, called on Karachi Mayor Waseem Akhtar at the latter’s office.

The delegation comprised ABAD office-bearers, including Senior Vice Chairman Hassan Bakhsh and former vice chairman Rizwan Adyia.

The mayor expressed concern over the reconstruction of demolished portions in bungalows in the city. He said the construction of multi-storey buildings must be carried out while keeping in view the city’s infrastructure. He said the citizens of Karachi were already facing a lot of problems, which had to be solved as soon as possible.

The delegates assured Akhtar of all possible support for solving the city’s problems as well as for development activities.