Following SC’s suit, SHC orders to raze Makkah Tower
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Following in the footsteps of Supreme Court which has ordered the demolition of the Nasla Tower and Tejori Heights Tower recently, the Sindh High Court too has ruled to raze the Makkah Tower, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
The Sindh High Court ordered the authorities to complete an inquiry against the four-storey Makkah Tower situated at Paradi Street, Karachi within a month.
SHC Justice Faisal Kamal while hearing a case against the Makkah Tower on Monday remarked that all illegal buildings would get the same verdict. Justice Zafar Ahmad Rajput said that any building which was illegal, would be razed.
The court sought the names of all officers, alive or dead, in service or retired who gave approval of the construction project. The court ruled that a punitive action must be ensured in a week’s time against every officer involved in the approval of the building project.
The court while giving a dressing down to the director general of the Sindh Building Control Authority ordered him that any officer responsible for the building approval must be detached from his official duty till the completion of an inquiry against him.
Justice Rajput told the SBCA DG off and said that his department’s efficiency was zero. He lamented that the court gave verdicts but they were not implemented. He said no matter if the whole SBCA department became empty, the action would be taken now. He wondered how these buildings were popping up.
Justice Rajput said to the DG that the cases against the SBCA officers could be sent to the National Accountability Bureau which could check their assets too. “You just submit the report after conducting a cosmetic inquiry,” he rued.
The petitioners stated that on 500 square yard, a four-storey building had been erected. All open spaces have been included illegally in the building, the petitioner added.
The counsel for the builders pleaded to the court to order for the razing of only those areas which were built on the illegal land. But the SBCA contended that pillars of the building were attached together, if one part was demolished it would bring down the whole building.
On this, the court ruled to demolish everything which was illegal and present a report within a month. It also ordered an inquiry against the SBCA officers who approved the construction project.