JRT POST

The Minister of Information and Local Government of Sindh, Said Nasir Hussein Shah, admitted that the entire Sindh Provincial Building Control Agency (SBCA) agency is notorious due to illegal construction problems in the province.

He admitted this when presiding over a meeting of the authorities in Karachi on Tuesday. The Minister asked SBCA officials to expedite their actions against illegal construction and assure them that the government will provide the greatest assistance in this regard.

He said that a mass movement against illegal construction should be carried out across the province, and SBCA officials should be instructed to implement relevant decisions of the Supreme Court in letter and spirit.

Shah said that relevant officials of the authorities have a strict obligation to report any illegal construction within their jurisdiction; otherwise, they will be deemed to have participated in the construction of unauthorized buildings.

He made it clear that no one can be above the law, and the Sindh government or the Pakistan People’s Party has never threatened to patronize illegal buildings. “For those who violate the law, criminal responsibility should be investigated in accordance with the law.”

The Minister suggested that the district committees should be put into play to prevent illegal construction in Sindh. He instructed SBCA officials to obtain support from the police, rangers, and district administration to prevent the construction of illegal structures.

He lamented that eight-story multi-storey buildings were built on smaller residential plots, and these buildings often collapsed, causing casualties and property damage. He said that it is also necessary to improve the building by-laws governing SBCA work to prevent illegal construction in the province.