October 29, 2005

Mein kis key haath pey apna lahoo talash karoon Tamam shehr nei pehney howay hein dastaney.
—Mustafa Zaidi

THE collapse of a part of the Margalla Towers apartments complex in October 8 earthquake is no pardonable offence. As we move out of the state of shock and grief and try to determine as to what actually happened, it dawns upon us that nature was not the only enemy on that fateful day.

There is a far greater enemy within us that played havoc especially in the case of the Margalla Towers. That enemy is corruption, bribery and lust to make money irrespective of the consequences. The state monitoring agencies had allowed deviation from building codes and regulations to the builders in lieu of handsome payments. The result is that two blocks crumbled and many lives were lost. It has shattered the confidence of the residents of the other blocks and they have no faith in the official inquiry initiated by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) into the disaster.

It is hardly a secret that the Margalla Towers was constructed in violation of building rules of the CDA. Similar violations were also committed in the construction of the adjacent Al Mustafa and Park towers apartments complexes. It is also widely known that there were serious structural faults in the two demolished blocks of the Margalla Towers which were completed in the second phase of the project in 1996. Instead of using concrete beam to give strength to the structure, the contractor had used bricks.

The CDA had approved a repoortedly building plan of ten floors but later another two floors were added by the owner of the project. It is interesting to note that the authority has not till today issued a completion certificate — a document which confirms that the building has been raised in accordance with the original approved design.

Initially, the CDA had entered into a joint venture with the builders of Margalla, Al Mustafa and Park towers, associating itself apparently to lend credibility to these projects. But in 1994 the authority withdrew its name from the projects. The Margalla Towers was completed in 1995 and the sale of its apartments began in 1997. The CDA cancelled the plot of Margalla Towers in 2000 for non-payment of dues at a time when the builder had already sold the apartments. However, following a court decision, the plot was restored in 2003.

For years, residents of Margalla Towers and Al-Mustafa Towers have been complaining to the authorities concerned about the ‘inappropriate and illegal’ construction of these towers, hairline cracks in the walls of some apartments and constant water leakages but to no avail.

The residents of Margalla Towers had also filed a law suit against the builders, their partners and the CDA, alleging negligence over structural faults. But the case did not proceed ahead as the defendant’s lawyers failed to show up.

The CDA has no mechanism to check the efficacy of the structure of a private building or the quality of the material used in its construction. The incumbent CDA chairman, Kamran Lashari, recently said that the authority does not check the quality of construction. All they are supposed to do is to ensure that a building is constructed as per design approved by the CDA. The residents association of Al Mustafa Towers have approached the court, interior ministry and even the NAB but they latter gave the same answer.

The builders have made 18 ‘illegal’ flats on the lower ground floor of Al-Mustafa complex, which is actually the lobby and also known as the additional basement. This was originally designed to be an amenity area having a laundry shop, a departmental store and an open area for children to play. At present, this area is used as a lobby and has an exit, the only one, for residents of 318 flats. There are no fire-fighting extinguishers or other equipment to fight calamities or disasters. So much so, that the gas and electric metres have been installed at the same place.

The previous CDA chairman had a different attitude and didn’t mind an FIR even against his own organization when the question about the original site plan was raised. And it was only on that threat that the plan was produced by the lower CDA staff. Later, the file was closed on a remark by then CDA Chairman, “We must accept the reality that law can be purchased.” The remark showed a high government official’s limitations.

Now the CDA says that it intends to make amendments to bylaws governing construction activity in Islamabad and also to streamline the procedures and introduce new safeguards to cover risks emanating from seismic tremors. It has been suggested that in case of construction of high-rise buildings such as residential apartments, 30 per cent of apartments would be mortgaged by the CDA to keep a check on private developers. Why did the CDA allow high-rise buildings in Islamabad when it was clear from the outset that this was a seismic area and a building couldn’t be higher than five floors?

The Margalla tragedy was the result of poor supervision and negligence of the CDA. It is quite alarming to note that the Al Mustafa and Park towers complexes which had developed some faults had been declared safe by the CDA just after 24 hours of the quake. Some wide cracks have appeared in two apartments of Al Mustafa Towers. When will we learn our lesson? The Chairman can improve CDA’s image by being impartial and fair. After all, human lives are involved. There is a need to redress all the wrongs committed in the past. The CDA must take steps to undo all the violations committed in the buildings concerned as they pose a threat to the residents, as evident from the Margalla incident.

There is no denying the fact that the earthquake was of very high intensity and long duration; still the fact remains that the loss of lives could have been prevented had the building rules been followed. The government must take notice of the irregularities committed in the related departments. It should hold a proper inquiry into the collapse of the Margalla Towers blocks and also arrange impartial structural engineers’ inspection of the two nearby complexes, Al Mustafa and Park Towers, and also of all other high-rise buildings.

The writer is a former research fellow at the Institute of Strategic Studies, Islamabad.

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