KAARCHI: Sohail Warind, Acting Chairman Association of Builders and Developers of Pakistan (ABAD), lamenting on two incidents of building collapse in Karachi and Sukkur has hold Chief Minister Sindh, Chief Secretary Sindh and Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) for irresponsible attitude, which has claimed loss of lives and materials.
In a statement, he said that ABAD has warned time and again to authorities through letters and through media that some unscrupulous elements are busy in constructing illegal buildings in various parts of Karachi with the connivance of corrupt officials of SBCA and these building are not capable of bearing even moderate earthquake causing at least one million deaths. But no proper action has been taken against these elements. The fear of ABAD has come true after collapse of two illegal buildings in Karachi and Sukkur causing heavy loss of lives and materials, he lamented.
He said that ABAD had demanded of forming a committee, after Soomro Gali building collapse, to fix the responsibility. A committee has been formed but not a single member of the said committee has visited the site what to tell about the probe and punishment to culprits, he said adding this shows total failure of the Sindh government, especially SBCA.
He said that ABAD Chairman Mohsin Sheikhani had a meeting with Sindh Secretary Local Government Roshan Sheikh and requested him to form a committee to look into matter of illegal construction and fix responsibility for allowing such illegal construction in violation of building bylaws. But, unfortunately, nothing has done to form three-member committee including members from Local Government, ABAD and SBCA and illegal constructions by contractors with no deep knowledge of construction are going on unabated throughout Karachi and Sindh. He warned that a catastrophic situation may occur if illegal and substandard construction goes on.