KARACHI, Nov 16: The Sindh High Court asked the Saddar Town police officer to trace an offending builder and produce him before it on November 22. Builder Mohammad Akram, who constructed ground-plus-five-floor ‘Sharjah Centre’ on plot 234, Artillery Maidan, Saddar, appeared once in proceedings in a petition moved by four purchasers of his flats to promise that he would have the violations regularized by the Karachi Building Control Authority.

The main violation was construction of flats on the first floor reserved for car parking and the KBCA informed the court it could in no case be regularized under the law. The petition was moved by the purchasers of four flats illegally built on the floor meant for car parking and the court ordered the anti-corruption establishment to hold an inquiry to fix the responsibility for the violation.

In its report submitted to the court, the establishment held a former chief controller of buildings, a former deputy controller of buildings now serving as town controller of buildings, a retired assistant controller of buildings and a deceased assistant controller responsible for the conversion of the parking area.

Ex-CCOB Akhtar Iqbal Usmani’s counsel, Ali Bin Adam Jafri, contesting the finding against his client said the inquiry was held without notice or hearing. Mr Usmani was not at all responsible or liable as he was not a field officer inspecting or monitoring construction in a particular area.

KBCA counsel Shahid Jamil Khan, while not contesting the responsibility of the authority’s officials concerned, contended that the builder was the main culprit.

He had not answered court summons after giving a bogus undertaking that he would have the violation, which could neither be condoned nor validated, regularised.

He said the builder should be held accountable and made to pay full compensation to the petitioner purchasers, whose flats would have to be demolished. The bench asked the Saddar TPO to produce the builder on Nov 22: