Nasir Hussain Shah says Sindh to intensify crackdown on illegal constructions

The provincial government has decided to demolish all illegal constructions and the ongoing action in this regard would be intensified, said Sindh Minister for Information and Local Government Syed Nasir Hussain Shah on Thursday.

The provincial minister said those who risked human lives by illegal constructions would not be forgiven. He added that any attempt to illegally alter the map of the metropolis would be thwarted.

In a statement, he said the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) had been directed to take strict action against illegal constructions.

The minister said incidents of buildings’ collapse in Karachi were happening frequently which was not tolerable in any way. He said there were some buildings in Karachi which were constructed before the establishment of Pakistan and their condition was very dilapidated. “People are living in those buildings under pagri system [a rental model].”

Nasir said that notices had been issued by the SNCA to the residents of these dilapidated buildings, asking them to vacate these buildings immediately, but the residents were not ready to leave.

The minister said the establishment of separate courts for the SBCA would help eradicate illegal constructions.

He said the Sindh government was also taking stern action against SBCA officers and officials involved in allowing illegal constructions.

Nasir said that at present, there were 422 buildings in Karachi which were in a very dilapidated condition.

The minister said that notices had also been issued to the occupants of these buildings to vacate the buildings.

The minister said he was deeply saddened over the loss of innocent lives in the collapse of a residential building in Lyari. Nasir said the Sindh government was striving to prevent any incident in the future in which any innocent life was lost.

He said the people should also cooperate with the government in a way that when they were asked to vacate the building, they should do it immediately. “No illegal construction will be allowed in the future," he said.

The minister said if any official of the SBCA was found involved in assisting any illegal construction at any level in the future, he would be severely punished. “Because it is a matter of human lives, no negligence will be tolerated in this regard,” he said.