Karachi: The Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) has begun a province-wide crackdown on unsafe structures and unauthorized constructions on the directives of Sindh Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah.
SBCA Director General Muzamil Hussain Halepoto ordered officers to take strict action against such buildings, stressing that protecting human lives is the authority’s top priority. He warned that no negligence will be tolerated.
An SBCA report shows 540 buildings in Karachi have been declared dangerous. District South tops the list with 407 structures, followed by 70 in Central, 24 in Keamari, 18 in Korangi, 14 in East, five in Malir, and two in West. Several of these have already been vacated and sealed, while more evacuations are underway with district administration support.
Halepoto directed inspectors to visit their areas, stop illegal construction on the spot, and report unsafe structures to the Technical Committee on Dangerous Buildings (TCDB) for urgent action.
For accountability, field officers must maintain countersigned field books, submit undertakings confirming no illegal construction in their areas, and file monthly reports covering inspections, demolitions, complaints, and court cases. These will be verified by the Vigilance Directorate.
The DG also ordered updated digital records of dangerous and demolished buildings and introduced a grading system to assess field officers’ performance. Negligence or late reporting will result in disciplinary action under E&D rules.
Halepoto urged citizens to report weak structures and illegal activities through SBCA’s helplines (99232355, 99230393) or at www.sbca.gos.pk.
Samra Zulfiqar, a real estate analyst at Zameen.com, is passionate about finding projects that offer buyers the best returns. Her keen insights spotlight the market’s most promising opportunities.
