Karachi’s Cluster Structures Expose Shabby and Shady Performance of Sindh Govt

KARACHI: The clusters of illegal structures in Karachi have exposed the performance of the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) which has failed to stop the errant expansion of the megacity either due to alleged collusion or criminal negligence.

SBCA officials have apparently stopped monitoring exercise owing to which most of the residents, particularly in suburban localities, fearlessly construct additional floors than approved.

The building bylaws are being flouted at large, leaving the streets narrower and a dearth of amenities.

Thus, the builders’ mafia is carrying out constructing high-rise buildings sans requisite approval. In suburban localities of the city, the structures have been developed such that if an incident occurs, it becomes a daunting task for the rescue workers to perform operations.

Such sights are visible in different areas of the city including Punjab Colony, Saddar, Gulberg, Liaquatabad, and many others.

In these localities, one could witness multi-storey buildings built on 50 square yards (sq-yd) plots as the builders’ mafia brazenly plays with the lives of the people.A Karachi-based Journalist, Akhtar Baloch, who has been covering civic issues said that the megacity has become a political orphan.

He added that the people living in their inherited or ancestral house build another floor as their families expand.

This practice has destroyed the beauty of the city along with putting lives in peril.

The journalist said that most of the structures have been developed in areas where there is an unavailability of amenities.

How can the administration approve them, he questioned.Further, Baloch was of the view that such unruly expansion of the city would create troubles if the coastal city is hit by a flood.

In this regard, Karachi ex-Administrator Faheem uz Zaman said that the government had taken no action despite the orders of the Supreme Court (SC).

He added that if a building collapses in the city, the government does not take long to declare it a ‘misfortune’ of dwellers.

However, he maintained that such things are a result of incompetency and corruption.

“The land of the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) was gifted to the encroachment mafia, which developed structures without fearing an action”, Zaman said. He stressed the need for proper planning to save the mega city from more destruction amd stop errant expansion.Urban Resource Centre (URC) Joint Secretary Zahid Farooqi said that the population of Karachi was increasing rapidly but there is no planning neither any housing schemes being constructed to counter it.

“There is an absence of water supply system which manifests lack of planning and maladministration”.

“People from all over Pakistan come to Karachi to find a job, pushing its population up but the government seems to have turned a blind eye to the issue”. Farooqi said.

Meanwhile, the Sindh Minister for Local Bodies Nasir Hussain Shah claimed that the government had razed down over 900 illegal structures in Karachi.

He pointed out that a builder was recently arrested from Multan who had fled after being involved in illegalities.

The minister told that the Sindh Chief Minister Murad Shah has ordered to expedite action against builders involved in the illicit practice as people spend their live-savings on building a home.

Shah said that the laws were there but there was a dire need for implementation on them.

Subsequently, the citizens of Karachi were of the view that structures are erected overnight. “We wake up to see a new building in the morning at a site which was empty until last night”, they added.

They said that the related institutions needed to work diligently against illegal structures as errantly built illegal buildings stop ventilation besides creating a dearth of amenities such as water and gas.