Nasir seeks ideas to protect life savings of illegal buildings’ residents

Sindh’s local government minister has asked the officials concerned to devise a legal arrangement to safeguard the legitimate rights of the people who face the threat of losing their life savings in the case of unauthorised residential buildings whose demolition becomes necessary in accordance with the law.

Syed Nasir Hussain Shah issued the order during a meeting with officials of the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) at the latter’s office on Wednesday. Shah asked the officials concerned to propose a proper piece of legislation to protect the life savings of people if the accommodation bought by them is found to have been present in an illegal building whose existence is threatened due to enforcement of the law.

He said that stern lawful action should be taken against the elements involved in illegal constructions so that in future no one again dares to dupe people into losing their life savings by making false commitments of providing them with accommodation.

He also said the Sindh government of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) under the leadership of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has been doing its best to upgrade the living standards of the people of the province and to protect their fundamental rights.

The LG minister was informed by the SBCA officials about the data on the demolition operation being carried out across Karachi to rid the city of illegal buildings. The meeting was also informed that the required manpower and machinery has been obtained by the SBCA from outsourcing agencies to carry out the demolition work in the city.

They said services of special squads and machinery have been availed in different zones of the city to complete the demolition activity in a timely manner. The minister asked the officials concerned to complete the demolitions within the stipulated time.

Nasla Tower

The most recent case in which people bought flats worth millions of rupees and lost them is that of the Nasla Tower situated in the Sindhi Muslim Cooperative Housing Society (SMCHS).

The residents had bought their flats after verifying all the no-objection certificates (NOCs) issued by the relevant landowning agencies and various government departments. A few years after that, however, the Supreme Court ordered the building to be demolished.

All the NOCs shown to the residents by the builder before they purchased their flats turned out to be illegally obtained or issued. And the building itself turned out to be constructed over an encroached portion of a service road.

The owner of the land on which the Nasla Tower was constructed allegedly obtained illegal NOCs and permits from the housing society as well as various government organisations under the watch of the Pakistan Peoples Party’s ministers, the Jamaat-e-Islami’s elected local government representatives and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s mayor.

Plot No. A-193 on which the residential-cum-commercial Nasla Tower was constructed was originally of 780 square yards (sq yds). But then, 341 sq yds was allegedly encroached. Initially, 264 sq yds was amalgamated in the original 780 sq yds, then later another 77 sq yds.

Plot No. A-193 measuring 780 sq yds bearing survey No. 242 was allotted to Nusratali on December 23, 1950. After his death the plot was transferred to his widow Mustafai Begum by March 22, 1955.

Through a notification issued on December 27, 1957, the then chief commissioner of Karachi allotted 20-feet-wide strips of land on both sides along the main Karachi-Malir Road (now Sharea Faisal) to the SMCHS.

According to the SC order directing the city commissioner to demolish the Nasla Tower, Sharea Faisal was proposed to be 280-feet-wide in 1950, but after the allotment (of the 20-feet-wide strips on both sides), it was reduced to 240 feet.