The resolution enables the plot owner to build ground plus four floors by giving Rs300 per square foot to the city government as betterment and development charges.
The opposition members strongly opposed the resolution saying that it was a blatant violation of building rules and regulations. Such a generous concession to an individual would lead to corruption, they said, adding that the building rules only allowed construction of ground-plus-one structure on the plots.
Syed Absar Hassan, who had proposed the resolution, claimed that he knew nothing about the owner of the four plots -- D-106, D-108, D-111 and D-114 -- who had requested for the construction of “medium density-non commercial” apartments. The permission for construction of ground-plus-four structures had already been granted by a committee formed by City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal and headed by the Chief Controller of the Karachi Building Control Authority, he added.
Demanding the incorporation of the city council committee minutes in the the resolution, Rafiq Ahmad, Abdul Razzaq, Rasheed Baig, Rukhsana Faisal and others from the opposition said the city council must not be used for giving legitimacy to what they described as violations of rules and regulations.
They said the council committee’s transparency report must be filed before taking any action on the issue. If the city government approved such individual cases violating residential-commercial transfer rules, every individual would adopt it as a matter of right, they feared.
Mohammad Asif Siddiqui, Masood Mehmood, Syed Absarul Hassan, Waqar Ahmad Siddiqui and others from the treasury benches rejected the opposition assertions, saying that the committee set up by the city nazim had already approved the project.
The resolution, forwarded by the treasury benches, was finally approved being put to the vote.
The house also offered Fateha for 23-year-old Zeeshan Naz, son of Saddar Town UC-1 Nazim Yousuf Naz, who died in a road accident and observed one-minute silence over the death of senior press photographer Samuel Johnson.
The council, in another resolution adopted by a majority vote, condemned the Islamabad blast and suicide attacks on security forces in Miramshah, terming these incidents a deep-rooted conspiracy hatched against the solidarity of the country.
The resolution called upon people from all walks of life to play their due role in safeguarding the country’s integrity.
A heated debate took place in the council when the treasury and the opposition benches submitted two diametrically opposed resolutions on the Islamabad blast that killed 17 people and injured more than 60 people outside the venue of chief justice’s rally.
Naib Nazim Nasreen Jalil, who chaired the session, urged both sides to table a unanimous resolution on the tragic incident.
The opposition members stressed that the issue should be debated in the house before adopting any resolution as both benches had completely different views on the issue.
At the outset, Rafiq Ahmed of Al-Khidmat Group criticised the government for failing to provide security to people. He said protection of the lives and property of citizens was the prime responsibility of the government. He blamed the government for a sharp breakdown of law and order.
Condemning the Islamabad blast, Haq Parast leaders Asif Siddiqui and Masood Mehmood reciprocated the offer of the house convener for adopting a joint resolution.
The convener suspended the session for a few minutes allowing the house members to agree on a joint resolution. When the house reassembled, the opposition members told the convener that the treasury was not ready to condemn the government on its failure to maintain law and order. Therefore, they said, the members should be allowed to vent their views on the Islamabad blast, Miramshah assault and overall law and order situation in the country which was a source of concern of every citizen.
The convener rejected the contention of opposition members and sought the mandate of the house on both the resolutions. The house also rejected the resolution of the opposition which condemned the Islamabad blast and described it as inefficiency of the government and called for its resignation. The opposition staged a token walkout when the house approved the resolution of the treasury.
The session was later adjourned till July 30.