AS the Supreme Court is probably finding out with every hearing pertaining to illegal construction in Karachi, the Sindh Building Control Authority is incorrigible.

Time and again, the authority has been raked over the coals by the superior courts for neglecting its core function, that of ensuring that construction in the province conforms to building and town planning regulations.

Similar to umpteenth earlier hearings, the apex court on Tuesday again excoriated the SBCA’s top officials for their inaction in the face of rapacious builders doing as they please with Karachi’s valuable real estate.

As has been its wont, the authority in response to petitions filed against illegal construction in various parts of the metropolis continues to deflect and delay.

The two-judge bench pointed out that the SBCA had provided no explanation as to why the structures had come up in the first place without approved building plans and observed that there was a complete breakdown in the administration of the authority.

The fact is, the SBCA has become a cesspool of corruption where anything is possible for the right price.

The unchecked commercialisation of Karachi’s real estate — which earns windfalls for certain politicians and bureaucrats — is putting unsustainable pressure on its already creaking civic infrastructure and leading to a breakdown in service delivery.

Interestingly, the regulatory body will sometimes go through the motions of appearing to follow the law, issuing warnings and notices, but then does nothing to follow through.

In 2019, in response to directives by a Supreme Court bench that imposed a ban on the conversion of residential and amenity plots for commercial use across Karachi, it compiled a list of at least 915 such sites.

It notified an immediate ban on such conversion and announced it would demolish or seal such sites to comply with the court’s orders. And then it rested on its laurels, in keeping with its reputation as a ‘friend’ of the land mafia.

Published in Dawn, June 29th, 2023