An inquiry committee has been made after a complaint about illegal constructions during the lockdown in the city was received by the local government. It was filed to the local government secretary and housing and town planning department.
In his complaint, Mahmood Akhtar Naqvi alleged that the Sindh Building Control Authority officers are involved in illegal constructions in Karachi.He said SBCA Deputy Director-General Ashkar Dawar, Director Ali Mehdi Kazmi, Director Aamir Kamal, Deputy Director Shakeel Jamali, assistant directors Ehtisham Ali and Musawar Nabi are patronising illegal constructions in Liaquatabad, North Nazimabad and New Karachi.
Local Government Secretary Roshan Ali Shaikh constituted a three-member committee headed by Dr Jamaluddin Jalalani, the LG special secretary. SBCA Technical Director Sarfaraz Hussain and Deputy Director Vigilance Nadeem Sarwar Shaikh are its members.
The committee will submit its findings by April 27. It has to verify the allegations, according to the Terms of Reference. The members will visit the sites where illegal constructions are being carried out.
It is pertinent to mention here that earlier the probe body formed in January to identify loopholes that led to the collapse of a multi-story building in Karachi has hinted at taking action against the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) officials over alleged involvement in allowing illegal construction.
The five-member probe committee led by the deputy commissioner South had chaired a meeting to identify the causes behind the sudden collapse of a building in Ranchor Line area of the city.The incident, whose footage was captured and shared online showed a six-story building caving in. However, no loss of life was reported as it was evacuated just before the incident occurred. The committee reviewed the causes of the incident, site plan and other documents related to the building site. The chairman committee said that the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) officials apprised the meeting that the building was constructed illegally.
“The owners got a stay order from the court to construct the building,” it was told.
