• CM Murad asks commissioner to conduct survey of 51 ‘extremely’ dilapidated buildings
• Orders FIR against officials found responsible for criminal negligence
• LG minister announces Rs1m compensation for families of each victim
• Shahmir Bhutto posted as new SBCA chief

KARACHI: Four days after the collapse of a five-storey residential building in Lyari, the provincial government has suspended the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) director general and issued notices to occupants of two adjacent buildings to vacate the premises, paving the way for the demolition of the weakened structures.

The decision to this effect was taken at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Friday.

It was also decided to demolish all “dangerous” buildings across the city and introduce a proper procedure for approving building plans.

A notification issued by the chief secretary said that the SBCA DG Ishaque Khuhro’s services were “placed under suspension with immediate effect for the reason of misconduct and inefficiency”.

Shahmir Khan Bhutto, a grade 20 officer serving as the secretary of the chief minister’s inspection, enquiries and implementation team, was notified as the new SBCA chief.

The meeting, held at the CM House, was attended, among others, by Senior Minister Sharjeel Memon, Home Minister Ziaul Hasan Lanjar and Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani.

The meeting was informed that there were 588 “dangerous” buildings in Karachi, including 426 in the South district alone.

The chief minister directed the Karachi commissioner to conduct a comprehensive survey to assess the living conditions and ownership status of families residing in these hazardous structures, as 51 buildings had been classified as “extremely dangerous”.

Hours after the meeting, the SBCA issued notices to the occupants of two buildings in close proximity to the collapsed structure to vacate and remove their belongings.

The provincial government’s decision to bring major reforms in the SBCA comes after the five-storey building, with an illegal penthouse constructed on top, collapsed in Lyari, claiming 27 lives.

The sources said that the chief minister expressed extreme displeasure and annoyance at the performance of the SBCA and ordered strict action against the delinquent officials involved in the illegal approval of building plans.

They said the meeting was informed that there was no record of approval of the building plan from the SBCA, and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) had complained in 2022, stating that the building was deemed unsafe in a survey conducted at that time.

The sources said that Mr Khuhro was the SBCA chief when the HRCP had complained about the dangerous building, and a six-member team had carried out the survey and recommended the demolition of the third floor. However, the third floor was never demolished.

The chief minister directed the registration of an FIR against those responsible for criminal negligence and mandated a thorough inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the collapse.

Ministers’ presser

In a subsequent press conference, Senior Minister Sharjeel Memon, LG Minister Saeed Ghani and Home Minister Zia Lanjar provided updates on the decisions made during the emergency meeting.

The senior minister said that the chief minister had also ordered the chief secretary to identify SBCA officers who were responsible for the area in 2022, when the building was declared dangerous.

He said that the Karachi commissioner had been tasked with submitting a detailed report within 24 hours on the number of residents in these hazardous buildings to facilitate prompt demolition efforts.

“A comprehensive survey report of all dangerous buildings is expected within two weeks,” he added.

The LG minister said that other SBCA officials who were suspended included the director, deputy director and building inspectors assigned to Lyari.

He said that the Sindh government had announced Rs1 million in compensation to the families of the 27 deceased people.

The LG minister said that there were 51 buildings in Karachi that were “extremely fragile and should be demolished”.

He said the city commissioner had been directed to provide the number of residents and units in those buildings, as well as details of whether they own the property or have rented it, so that the process of demolishing them could be started.

“The Karachi commissioner also has to provide assessments of the 588 buildings which were declared dangerous within two weeks so that we can decide which of the buildings need to be destroyed and which can be fixed through major repair,” he added.

He said that if any negligence, even by the SBCA DG, was found in the inquiry, then he would also be included in the FIR.

Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2025