KARACHI, Oct 17: While construction activities in various projects have come to a halt owing to an exodus of workers belonging to the earthquake-hit areas, builders say that the upcoming mega high-rise projects have not been shelved yet.
Sponsors and builders of mega projects have already shelved their media campaign after the deadly earthquake that has shaken the minds of property buyers as well as investors.
The builders believe that as the entire nation has shifted its attention towards the national tragedy, it looks awkward for them to engage in projection of their projects through the print and electronic media.
“As the nation is mourning the deaths caused by the deadly earthquake, it is not advisable at the moment to campaign for the projects,” former chairman, Association of Builders and Developers (ABAD), Babar Mirza Chughtai, said.
“It will take at least two months to resume the construction activities and re-launch the campaign,” he said, adding that an estimated 40,000 workers belonging to the quake-hit areas have left for Mansehra, Muzaffarabad, Balakot, the NWFP, etc. However, he said that the future projects launched recently were intact.
ABAD Chairman Hafeez ur Rahman Butt says that workers, who excel in shuttering and billet binding and mainly hail from Kashmir, Mansehra, Balakot, Muzaffarbad, etc., have gone back home. “I think over 150,000 workers belonging to the quake-hit areas have left for their home. We will be able to know the exact situation about the return of labour force after Eidul Fitr,” Mr Butt said.
“The construction activities have shrunk to 10pc in the city after the departure of workers to their respective areas,” he said.
Death toll in the October 8 deadly earthquake has risen to over 50,000 people, rendering over four millions homeless and requiring billions of dollars for rehabilitation and construction.
He said the projects, which had been kicked off just a few months ahead of the earthquake, had not been shelved yet, only people had suspended booking for the time being.
Mt Butt points out that as the government was undertaking a massive rehabilitation and construction work for the quake-devastated areas, ABAD thinks that planners should concentrate on building houses, schools and hospitals of “light-weighted structures” by using fibre, sheet, iron, etc.
“The government should avoid making concrete buildings for homes, schools and hospitals in the quake-hit areas in order to contain the magnitude of human casualties,” he said.
ABAD has sent an eight-member team, comprising structure and mechanical engineers, to review the possibility of making light-weighted structures in the area. “We will present the findings to the government for consideration after finalizing the report next week based on the recommendations of engineers and consultants,” the ABAD chairman said, adding that it depends on the government how it takes builders’ suggestions.
“We are ready to make houses with light-weighted materials as a sample for government’s consideration first,” he said.
All Pakistan Marble Mining Processing Industry and Exporters Association Chairman Sanaullah Khan said that 90 per cent gang saw operators from Mansehra and Shinkiari, who prepared marble slabs, had left Karachi.
He said due to a suspension in construction activities, marble sales had dropped by over 50 per cent in Karachi and also in other parts of the country.
Contrary to claims of the builders that construction activities have bottomed out in Karachi due to workers’ return, cement makers do not show any surprise on that, saying that they have not faced any decline in cement sales in Karachi.
All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA) Chairman Tariq Saigol told Dawn from Lahore that he was currently not aware that cement sales had dropped in Karachi due to thin construction activities.
However, problems have emerged in Lahore where prices have surged by Rs10-15 per 50-kg bag as cement is not reaching Lahore because of transporters’ engagement in shifting relief goods to the quake-affected areas.
In reply a query that cement sales will raise after the reconstruction in the earthquake-hit areas, Mr Saigol said the government had not yet come out with any plan as to what kind of construction it was going to carry in the northern areas. The government will prepare a master plan before initiating the reconstruction in the areas, he adds.
“I don’t think reconstruction activities in the quake-hit areas will start before March next year as winter and rains may hamper the efforts,” he said.
The executive director, Lucky Cement Limited, Abdul Razzak Thaplawala, also rules out the possibility of any drop in cement sales in Karachi.
“It is true that construction activities have slowed down, but our sales have not been affected,” he said. There was still a huge workforce working in Karachi, he added.
“People are lifting cement in Karachi,” Mr Razzak said, adding that there were also no reports that the builders had suspended their future orders.
On the other hand, the property market has become quiet, particularly in posh areas where rates had already plummeted by 30-40 per cent ahead of minor jolts recorded in the last three months.
“The rates of high-rise building and apartments will fall steeply in case some more jolts hits the DHA and Clifton,” the chief executive, Parekh Estate in Clifton, Abdul Wahab Parekh, said, adding that people might refrain from buying flats in high-rise buildings. “Even people, already living above fourth flour in various apartments, may think of selling them.”
