Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) has busted all previous records of corruption.The tall claims of Director General, Sindh Building Control Authority are just the mere statements.
Hardly, a single project in the city fulfill the requirement of the SBCA while mostly officials in all 18 towns considering the SBCA as an easy money-minting department of Sindh government. The construction of commercial flats on the residential plots is in progress across the city which is bringing loss of billion of rupees to the SBCA.
SBCA responsible for the infrastructure of the each area is giving permission to the builders for their personal lucrative benefits.Source privy to the matter revealed that a number of complaints pointed out the illegal constructions in their residential areas but the officers concerned declined to take any action on those applications because corruption is rampant among the officers from top to bottom.
He said that officials were making fun when any of the complainants sent a letter and informed about the construction of illegal pillars on the footpath of a marriage hall located in Block 21, FB area. The marriage hall was already constructed at the service road which started renovation and constructing pillars on the footpath. When the officials concerned came to know about the complaint, they laughed and said, “People were not even bothered with the construction of multi-storey buildings here and a man is complaining just for pillars.”
In each block of FB area, a number of illegal buildings have been constructed recently on residential plots where roof of ground floor plus one of 120 Sq Yard house was demolished when the owner requested for minimising the bribe rate.The resident namely Ali Ahmer Rizvi constructed the first floor of his house when two officials of the SBCA reached and threatened him for demolishing the roof.
Rizvi alleged that the officials demanded Rs80,000 as bribe for NoC and after long negotiations they were agreed on Rs40,000 and he paid them the bribe money and finished the first floor of his house. Karachi Social Protection Welfare Organisation President Rizwan Ahmed alleged that the Director of SBCA, Mohsin Khan and deputy director of the area namely Sajid Mehmood have directly involved in illegal constructions in the area. He added that most of the under-construction illegal buildings of this town are being supervised under the influence of above-mentioned directors.
According the data collected by The Nation revealed that in Block-15, FB area of Gulberg Town, massive illegal projects are under construction, including plot number R-407, R-1435, R-1095, R-893, R-545, R-436, R-222, R-445 and C-324 Scheme 16, commercial among the building illegally constructed. In Block-14 of FB area Gulberg Town, R-612, R-1478, R-387, R-395, R-392, R-311, R-1678, R-1672, R-487 were also among the illegally constructed sites. In the Block-8, FB area of Gulberg Town R-1210, R-141 were the projects in progress because after fulfilling the demands of SBCA officials.In the Block-9, FB area of Gulberg Town, including R-142 status construct a 2nd floor on dilapidated structure,
R-260 status as ground plus two floors, A-144 status as ground plus two floors, R-13 status is ground plus two floors, R-165 as ground plus three floors, 292 ground plus three floors among shops. The above-said constructions are built with the violation of the SBCA rules and regulations but nobody taken action against owners of the buildings,
despite all the above mentioned plots are rapidly progressing towards completion. An official of the SBCA on condition of anonymity told that officials of Gulberg Town have appointed Tariq Aziz who is basically making deals as a middle-man between the builders and the officials of the SBCA and also giving the share of each stakeholder with complete honesty.