The Sindh High Court has ordered the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) to seize the issuance of new no objection certificates (NOCs) for high-rises in the Mirpurkhas district.
The Hyderabad Circuit Bench of Justice Salahuddin Panhwar and Justice Khadim Hussain Tunio further ordered the SBCA to create a master plan for Mirpurkhas city before the ban on high-rises could be lifted.
The order came after a petition was filed by a private citizen Abdul Nasir Khan, a resident of Mirpurkhas district.
During the hearing, a report prepared by the Mirpurkhas commissioner was submitted in the Sindh High Court, according to which 16 high-rises had been built so far in Mirpurkhas.
The officials of the SBCA and town planning departments informed the court that structures of only ground plus one floor were allowed in the 1993 master plan for Mirpurkhas prepared by the UNDP.
However, they added that the said master plan had not been approved so far by the government.
Justice Panhwar asked the officials whether they had obtained an NOC from the Sindh Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) before allowing the construction of high-rises.
The bench while adjourning the hearing till January 12, ordered the SBCA director general to prepare master plans for all districts of Sindh and not to issue a new NOC for a high-rise in Mirpurkhas.
