Naqvi holds Sindh govt responsible for Golimar tragedy

Sindh Assembly opposition leader Firdous Shamim Naqvi says the Sindh government is responsible for the tragic incident of buildings’ collapse in Karachi’s Golimar area.

“The Sindh Building Control Authority is an unlawful and incompetent body which should be abolished,” demands Naqvi, a leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, as he talks to The News on Sunday.

But before its abolishment, he adds, SBCA officials who have been involved in corrupt practices should be hold accountable for the loss of over 20 lives in the Golimar tragedy.

The PTI leader says the Karachi mayor should be given the authority to supervise the affairs of buildings in Karachi. He wants the formation of the Karachi Building Authority which should run under the authority of the city mayor along with the Karachi Development Authority.

He deems the existence of the SBCA illegal, saying that around 90 per cent of the business comes from building projects Karachi, while only 10 per cent is from the rest of the province.

To ensure justice and transparency, he says, every city in Sindh should have its own building authority in place of the SBCA.

For now, he says, Sindh Minister for Local government Syed Nasir Hussian Shah is running the affairs of the SBCA and the minister reports to the Sindh cabinet and chief minister Murad Ali Shah. If strict action is not taken against the corrupt officials, he says, the situation could not be improved. He recalls that a naib qasid told a court a controller of the SBCA was living in a building worth millions of rupees. He remembers that the naib qasid also reported to the court that the controller had deposited millions of rupees to banks in cash.

“How a government official could live in a bungalow worth millions of rupees without committing corruption,” he wonders.

“All these culprits first should be hanged in public and then demolition work of illegal buildings should be started,” demands the Sindh Assembly opposition leader.

He also demands a complete survey be made by “neutral authorities to ascertain how long illegal flats were allowed by the SBCA”. The authorities, either retired or in service, who are involved in corruption should be strictly punished.

“These corrupt officials are also responsible for incidents like the Golimar tragedy,” he says.

Naqvi says his party has expressed sorrow and offered condolences to the bereaved families. He says the PTI will make efforts to ensure for them compensation money.

To a query, he says the PTI will raise the matter of the Golimar tragedy in the Sindh Assembly’s next session.