HYDERABAD, July 9: The Sindh Local Government, Katchi Abadis and Spatial Development Department has stopped all the taluka municipal administrations and union councils from issuing no-objection certificates (NoCs) for building plans and structure designs without going through the procedure prescribed under the Sindh Building Control Ordinance 1979.

In a circular issued to the TMAs and UCs on July 7, a copy of which was obtained by Dawn, the department said that the issuance of NoCs by TMAs and UCs had created confusions and deteriorated planning standards leng to emergence of substandard housing schemes lacking proper facilities for the residents.

The circular invited the TMAs and UCs’ attention to section 6, 6-A and 7 of the ordinance which said that no building could be constructed without approval by “authority” of the building plan. Under section-4, the Directorate of Town Planning Department had been declared as the “authority”, it said.

The department warned that no such illegality would be allowed in future and asked the TMAs and UCs to withdraw any orders issued earlier in this regard.

Under section 53(3)(iii) and 54-A, B, C and D of the Sindh Local Government Ordinance 2001, the TMAs should prepare spatial plans for the talukas in collaboration with union councils, including plans for land use, zoning and functions, the circular said.

But since the TMAs lacked technical staff to handle such matters, therefore, they had been debarred from exercising the powers, which pertained to the approval of private housing schemes and public buildings, it stressed.

The director of town planning, Hyderabad, Tahir Ahmed, had already declared about 150 such schemes throughout the province as illegal and initiated legal proceedings against the sponsors.

RESULTS: The University of Sindh on Monday announced result of MA previous (college side) annual examination 2006 declaring 5,422 candidates successful in all subjects and 1,353 failed.