KARACHI: Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) has issued evacuation notices to residents of 354 unsafe buildings following the first monsoon spell in the city.
Emergency has been imposed in the department, technical staff is required to stay on duty around the clock. The public has been requested to avoid standing near or passing by the endangered buildings.
Even before the recent spell of rain hit the city, the enlisted buildings were declared unsuitable for use, but hundreds of people continue to use them for residential purposes regardless.
On May 23, SBCA issued a notice banning the construction of high-rise buildings, beyond ground plus two storeys in Karachi. The notice read all such buildings would be considered illegal by the authorities concerned. Earlier, Sindh High Court ordered the SBCA to seize the issuance of new no objection certificates (NOCs) for high-rises in Mirpurkhas district.
The Hyderabad Circuit Bench further ordered the SBCA to create a master plan for Mirpurkhas city before the ban on high-rises could be lifted.
The order had come 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.