KARACHI, Jan 26: The complainant who approached the Supreme Court for violation of building regulations in Blocks 2 and 3 of the Pakistan Employees Co-operative Housing Society (PECHS) was himself found involved in irregularities. The court ordered on Thursday that all violations should be dealt with strictly in accordance with the law and rules.

Mian Tariq Mahmood Pagganwala complained to the chief justice that residential plots for ground-plus-one-floor bungalows in the two blocks were being freely converted into multi-storied apartment complexes in violation of the Karachi Building and Town Planning Regulations with impunity and that the Karachi Building Control Authority was taking no action. The CJ converted the complaint into a petition under suo motu jurisdiction and asked the KBCA and the offending offices to produce record.

After examining the record, a three-member SC bench comprising CJ Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry and Justices Mian Shairullah Jan and Saiyed Saeed Ashhad concluded at the principal seat on Thursday that 40 offending owners or builders were issued notices by the KBCA but they approached the high court and cases were pending. Eight cases were being processed for regularisation. One case involving utilisation of the compulsory open space and construction of an additional floor was pending against the complainant himself. The KBCA has issued him a notice.

The bench directed that all matters should be decided within a reasonable time strictly in accordance with the law without being influenced by the SC proceedings. Advocates Khalid Anwer and Shahid Jamil Khan appeared for the KBCA.