KARACHI, Aug 16: The Karachi Building Control Authority has directed the parties concerned that the illegal construction being carried out at the Hindu Gymkhana be stopped, it is reliably learnt.

According to sources, the National Academy of Performing Arts (Napa), the present occupant of the Seth Ramgopal Goverdhandas Mohatta Hindu Gymkhana, had first demolished an open air theater at the gymkhana building and now intended to construct a building at the protected site using the funding from the United Arab Emirates.

Nobody, even the concerned property owner, is authorised to carry out any demolition, repairs or new construction at a site protected under the Act, which prescribes long prison terms and heavy fines for a violator. If inevitable, any such activity requires permission from the cultural heritage advisory committee headed by the chief secretary.

A fresh letter issued by the KBCA on the subject ‘Construction Against Approval For Addition/Alteration Work at the Hindu Gymkhana, M. R. Kyani Road,” said that during an inspection, it was found that the construction work was being carried out without the mandatory approval.

“You are directed to stop further construction and see the undersigned along with the concerned engineer/architect and the NOC from the lesser to clarify the ownership as this premises is in the list of heritage buildings.”

The sources said that though the KBCA could not issue any permission for carrying out any kind of construction activity at a site protected under the Act, Napa had somehow managed to get the permission from the KBCA for the purpose.

The sources said that Napa wanted to start the construction work earlier, but had not been able to do so for want of funds until it got the sponsorship from the UAE government. The UAE government’s contractors, M/s Technical Associates Pak (Pvt) Ltd., also wanted Napa to get the permission from the government organisation concerned before starting the work. As such, Napa tried to obtain the same and it succeeded in its efforts by getting approval for the addition/alteration from the KBCA. The UAE government and its contractors probably did not know that the Hindu Gymkhana was a protected site, and the Culture Department’s NOC was also required even before the KBCA’s approval.

The sources argued that the contractors, being technical people (engineers, architects, etc.) should have known that razing an entire open air theater and raising a new building with a 15-feet deep basement and 50 feet high structure above the ground level at the site did not mean just ‘addition/alteration’.

Conservationists have demanded a high level probe into the whole affair to ascertain how did the KBCA allowed addition/alteration without having the authority and how did the parties involved managed to get the theatre razed in violation of the Act. They stressed on restoring the gymkhana building to its original shape.