Nasla Tower Puts Sindh CM in a Catch-22 Situation
Murad Ali Shah has to choose between party leadership or contempt of court over the demolition of the high-rise building
Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Murad Ali Shah is in a dilemma as he has to choose between his leadership’s orders or face contempt of court over the demolition of multi-storey Nasla Tower in Karachi.
Supreme Court (SC) ordered the Sindh government to raze down high-rise Nasla Tower on Shahrah-e-Faisal as it is built on encroached land.
Following the apex court’s orders, Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) compiled a report on violations committed in the allotted land for the structure which has been submitted with the provincial government.
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The documents obtained by News360 said that Sindhi Muslim Co-operative Housing Society (SMCHS) allotted 780 square-yards (sq-yds) plot in 1951.
Later in 1957, Karachi Chief Commissioner approved addition of 264 sq-yds in the earmarked land area.
The width of Shahra-e-Faisal, along which the high-rise building is located, was noted to be 280 feet (ft) in the allotment letter. However, it has now cropped to 240 ft.
Later in 1980, some 20 ft strip on both sides of the main thoroughfare was included in the plot area as alignment land.
In 2007, SMCHS obtained no-objection certificates (NOCs) for change of land use from different government departments.
The related plot kept getting more slices and it got excess of 77 ft in its dimensions by SMCHS when Shahrah-e-Qaideen flyover was being built in 2010.
After all additions, the land area of the multi-storey building expanded to 1121 sq-yds.
The building plan for the construction of multi-storey structure was forwarded by SMCHS to SBCA in 2013.
Considering all NOCs, the building authority approved and issued a building plan for Nasla Tower in the same year.
Well-placed sources told News360 that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari has directed Sindh chief minister to not implement the apex court’s orders regarding the demolition of Nasla Tower.
