KARACHI, Jan 7 Inaction on the part of the Karachi Building Control Authority (KBCA) in providing relief and technical guidance to the arson-hit traders in repairing their shops and buildings was creating impediments in the rehabilitation of the buildings that had been declared repairable.

Although six days had already passed since the KBCA's technical committee on dangerous building had submitted its report to the authorities concerned, the KBCA officials have, so far, neither marked the buildings which had been declared dangerous nor had begun the demolition of such buildings.

This inaction created an utter confusion among the affected shopkeepers as they are still unaware of the buildings which had been officially classified as repairable structures and the ones which needed repairs.

The KBCA technical committee on dangerous buildings surveyed the affected buildings on Jan 1 and submitted a report to the chief controller, Manzoor Qadir, stating that of the total 29 buildings inspected by it, three of them had collapsed, 16 buildings had been found dangerous as four of them had been partially collap- sed while 12 buildings structure had been severely damaged, two required heavy repair while the structures of eight buildings, which include three heritage buildings, were repairable.

Though a committee set up by City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal had already initiated the task of repairing only those buildings which had been classified as repairable structure by the KBCA, thousands of shopkeepers and those having warehouses and offices in the buildings who wish to carry out repairs of their affected buildings on a self-help basis were not aware of the requirements of undertaking such repair works.

KBCA officials say that repairs works of markets/buildings structure which got damages of minor nature such as cracks in plaster, masonry walls, etc. are required to submit an undertaking from licensed structural engineer, who should take full responsibility for the strength and stability of building structure for their safe occupation.

A visit to the affected locality showed that neither the authority had set up its camp in the affected area on the pattern of the city government, the KESC and other organisations nor their officials concerned are in liaison with the representatives of the affected shopkeepers so as to help them provide technical assistance in this behalf.

However, most of the arson-hit traders were either not aware of the condition required for getting their buildings repaired or cannot do so as they were in possession of their business places on a good-will basis and not on an owners- hip basis whereas only owner of a building could apply to obtain permission for getting repaired the damaged portion of a building structure.

Such a condition, the KBCA officials concede, cannot be waived unless the provincial government either make some amendments in the building bye-laws or issue a notification, allowing the occupants of the affected buildings to get their buildings' structure repaired as a special case.

Although the KBCA in its report about the three buildings whose structures had been completely collapsed and 16 other buildings which had been declared as dangerous suggested that debris of the collapsed buildings should be removed and structure of partially collapsed/severely damaged buildings be dismantled under the technical supervision, no such measures have, so far, been taken by the authority, thus posing danger to the lives of shopkeepers and those engaged in rehabilitation work there.