Govt’s explanation sought on status of ‘heritage’ buildings

Karachi
The Sindh High Court (SHC), earlier this week, directed the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA), secretary heritage and antiques to file comments over petitions seeking removal of pre-partition buildings, with no historical value, from the list of properties protected under the Sindh Cultural Heritage Preservation Act.
Petitioner Mohammad Imran and Hanif submitted that they had purchased one, Krishna mansion situated on plot SB-5, Saddar which was listed as a heritage building although the property had no historical value.
The petitioners maintained that the building was in a dilapidated condition and could collapse any time, but the authorities had restrained them from carrying out any alterations or renovation at the building.
Referring to the high court’s orders, to the advisory committee, to examine cases pertaining to buildings which had no historical or cultural value but were enlisted under the heritage law, the petitioners claimed that a follow up was yet to be initiated.
They prayed to the court to delist Krishna mansion from the heritage buildings list and allow the petitioners to carry out alterations or demolition of the building as per their use.
The provincial law officer sought time to file comments on behalf of the SBCA, secretary heritage and antique department and others before the next date of hearing.
Commercialisation plea
The SHC issued notices to provincial law officer, Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and SBCA to file comments over a petition filed against commercialisation of residential plots in the Garden and Gulberg areas.
Petitioner Rana Faizul Hasan submitted that private builders were carrying out constructing of commercial flats in Garden and Gulberg Block-6 sans approved building plans or no-objection certificates (NOC) from the SBCA.
He maintained that construction for commercial purposes could not be carried out in residential areas without the approval of the concerned authority, and prayed to court to direct the authorities to step in and take action against the builders.
Notices to ministry
The ministry of religious affairs and Sindh Inspector General were issued notices and were ordered to file their comments by August 18, by the SHC, on a petition of police officers filed with reference to removal of their names from the Moavineen-e-Hajj, 2015 list.
Petitioners Zulfiqar Ali and other police officers - serving as inspectors and sub-inspectors in the police department - submitted that their names were shortlisted in the list of officers selected to be sent to Hajj, following a balloting on July 2.
However, their names, along with eight other officers, were excluded from the list on the pretext that they were over-age.
The petitioners’ counsel submitted that the officers were eligible to be shortlisted as the officers were under the age 50 i.e. the official age-limit set in the performa.
He further claimed that the respondents had selected 13 police personnel without any due process.
The SHC’s division bench headed by Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi after preliminary hearing of the petition issued notices to secretary ministry of religious affairs, IG Sindh and others.