KARACHI, Jan 12: The Quaid-i-Azam Mazar Management Board (QMMB) has urged the Sindh government to carry out a survey of the buildings in the protective zone so that the restrictive law regarding buildings' height could be implemented strictly.

A decision in this regard was taken on Monday at a meeting of the board, chaired by the state minister for environment Maj (retd) Tahir Iqbal, who is also the chief of the QMMB.

Others who attended the meeting included Nasrin Mehdi, Salahuddin, Fauzia Qureshi, Dr Mateen A. Khan, Farasat Iqbal, Khalid Masood, Zaigham Jafri, Brig Sajad Ghani, Dr Abdul Rehman, and Abdul Waheed Kanju.

Under the law, no building could be constructed higher than the podium level - 91 feet mean sea level - of the Mazar of the Father of the Nation within a radius of six furlongs, or three quarters of a mile.

The participants of the meeting demanded that after the survey, a list of buildings with their height and date of completion be prepared. The meeting also took notice of reports in which the Karachi Building Authority had issued notices to different people whom the KBCA officials were threatening with demolition even without carrying out the survey. It said that nobody should be harassed unnecessarily.

The board also decided to approach the Sindh High Court in a case filed by the builders. The board also urged the Sindh government to take stern action against the KBCA officials who were involved in the illegally constructed buildings in the restrictive zone and stern action be taken against them so that it could be a deterrence to others.

The meeting took notice of the rising water table in the area near Purani Numaish crossroads where the subsoil water has risen up to around 50 feet mean sea level and water comes out of ground if one digs just a couple of feet.

The meeting decided to make arrangements for lowering the water table. There, however, is no immediate threat to the Quaid's grave which is around 80 feet above mean sea level or the podium and mausoleum of the Quaid which is 91 feet above mean sea level. So the water still is around 30 feet below the grave and over 40 feet below the podium level.

The board also decided to construct a ramp and install a lift at a cost of around Rs 6 million so that the handicapped people and senior citizens do not face any difficulty in climbing to the podium. President Pervaiz Musharraf during his visit to the Mazar over a year back had proposed installation of these facilities for senior citizens and handicapped.