SBCA official says more than 500 buildings across Karachi have been declared dangerous, including 106 in District South alone
Amid dirt and dust, workers carry out demolition of the rear part of Gudda Plaza, some parts of which collapsed earlier. PHOTO: JALAL QUERESHI/EXPRESS
KARACHI:
The Sindh Building Control Authority has stepped up its ongoing operation to demolish dilapidated and dangerous structures across the metropolis, with work underway in Lyari and District South.
According to officials, the operation is being carried out with extreme caution as many of the unsafe buildings are located in densely populated areas surrounded by other residential structures.
SBCA Demolition Director Rehan Khan said the authority has initiated the first phase of demolition of structures declared dangerous. “Buildings in Lyari’s Agra Taj Colony and Naya Abad are being razed manually without involving machinery,” he said, adding that the demolition operation has been going on for the past four days.
He said that one floor of a seven-storey building in Lyari has already been demolished while work on the remaining six floors is in progress.
Khan added that during the first phase, dilapidated and useless buildings in the old parts of the city will be demolished. “There are more than 500 dangerous buildings across Karachi, including 106 in District South alone,” he revealed, noting that all uninhabitable structures in the area will be razed in phases.
Meanwhile, two more buildings declared dangerous in Lyari have been evacuated as a precautionary measure, according to SBCA sources.
Separately, the SBCA has decided to start the demolition work on the housing project ‘Yasir Terrace’ in Gulistan-e-Jauhar on Monday morning. The building had earlier been declared useless, but the demolition was delayed due to protests by residents when the SBCA team reached the site last week.
Officials said the SBCA aims to clear all high-risk structures ahead of the winter season to prevent potential tragedies caused by collapsing buildings.
Meanwhile, the operation to demolish houses in Afghan Basti, Gulshan-e-Maymar Afghan entered its fifth day on Sunday, with over 1,200 buildings razed so far.
According to Director of Anti-Encroachment Amir Fazal Owaissi and SHO Zone-I Shayan Anjum, the settlement established in 1984 over 215 acres housed more than 3,200 residential and commercial units occupied by Afghan refugees.
Officials said the drive, which is part of the government’s repatriation policy for Afghan refugees, is being carried out jointly by the Anti-Encroachment Force, MDA and the police using heavy machinery.
DSP Manghopir Masroor Ahmed Jatoi said around 90% of 15,000 residents have already returned to Afghanistan, while the rest will leave gradually as the operation continues until the country is completely cleared.
In July, at least 27 people lost their lives when a five-storey residential building collapsed in Lyari’s Baghdadi area, prompting the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) to launch a demolition drive targeting other unsafe structures nearby.
SBCA crews have since begun demolishing several dilapidated buildings that were identified as potentially dangerous.
