Staff Reporter
Karachi
Staff Reporter
Karachi
Sindh Minister for Information, Local Government, Housing &Town Planning, Religious Affairs, Forest and Wildlife Syed Nasir Hussain Shah has said that there were more than 300 buildings in Karachi which were not only old but in a very dilapidated condition. The provincial Information Minister said that notices had also been issued to the occupants of these buildings to vacate them immediately but they had refused.
He said talks were underway with the occupants of the old buildings and that they would vacate the old buildings, relying on the government to provide them with alternative accommodation. He was speaking to reporters while visiting the site in Lyari where a 5-storey residential building collapsed, killing four people and injuring many. Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said that legislation was also being enacted to assure the occupants of such buildings that if they were vacated, alternative accommodation would be provided to them. The provincial Information Minister said that Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah had already issued clear instructions in this regard. He said that heavy machinery had been delivered to the affected area, with the help of which the work of lifting debris was in progress, but as the area consisted of very narrow streets, it might take some time to remove the debris. Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said that if there was any negligence on the part of Sindh Building Control Authority officials behind this tragic incident, it would not be tolerated.
The provincial Information Minister clarified that in order to stop the illegal practices, the Sindh government had already approved separate courts for Sindh Building Control Authority and apex court had also been approached for appointments in these courts.
He said that strict action had been taken against hundreds of Sindh Building Control Authority officials in the past for allowing illegal construction of buildings, adding that, various steps had also been taken to curb such illegal and dangerous practices in future.
