Sindh caretaker government plans to legalize unlawful construction
KARACHI: The provincial caretaker government has hinted at regularizing all unlawfully built buildings in the city, it was revealed on Monday, in what is being seen as a move outside its jurisdiction.
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In Karachi and other regions of the province, the illegal construction of multi-story buildings on modest residential lots has developed into a lucrative industry. The higher courts have been hearing numerous petitions against the threat, and in one case, the supreme court ordered the 15-story Nasla Tower demolished and declined to regularize it because it was built unlawfully.
Though he is also a builder, Caretaker Local Government Minister Mubin Jumani instructed the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) on Monday to conduct a thorough investigation of all illegally built structures in the province, including Karachi, where people were residing, and to submit a report within 48 hours.
He stated that the primary goal of the provincial caretaker government was to offer the greatest amount of help to the populace during a meeting with a delegation from the Association of Builders and Developers (Abad).
Unauthorised structures will be regularised following a third-party assessment, the LG minister informs Abad.
“By having a third-party survey of these buildings,” he informed the delegation, “we will take steps to regularise all such illegal buildings where people have settled under the law.”
Recent restrictions on new construction and the approval of building maps and layout plans across the province were made by the caretaker minister.
The ban was brought up at the conference by the Abad delegation, which was led by its current chairman Altaf Tai and former chairman Mohsin Sheikhani.
In order to save the city from turning into a concrete jungle, Minister Jumani informed the delegation that the moratorium on new projects and layout plans had been put in place for “only a few days.”
According to a news release released following the meeting, he stated that the caretaker administration will develop a strategy in this area that might encourage legitimate builds and discourage illicit buildings.
He claimed that in order to increase revenue for the provincial government, the government sought to establish a system in the province’s building industry.
According to the LG minister, the SBCA and all other authorities have been told to conduct a thorough investigation into the illegal structures that have been erected around the city and province and to produce a report within 48 hours.
He declared that a committee made up of representatives of builders, the SBCA, the Karachi Development Authority, the Malir Development Authority, the Lyari Development Authority, and other stakeholders would be established by the caretaker government to make recommendations for the construction sector.
The minister received assurance from the Abad chairman that his ideas will be submitted in two to three days. In light of Abad’s suggestions, he encouraged the minister to lift the moratorium on building plans.
Speaking at the event, LG Secretary Najm Shah pledged that the administration would make every effort to introduce a complete strategy in a week after consulting with all parties.
