SBCA official says more than 500 buildings in Karachi were declared dangerous, including 106 in the Southern District alone.
Amid rubble and dust, workers carry out the demolition of the rear section of Gudda Plaza, some parts of which collapsed earlier. PHOTO: JALAL QURESHI/EXPRESS
The Sindh Building Control Authority has intensified its ongoing operation to demolish dangerous and dilapidated structures across the metropolitan city, with work currently being carried out in Lyari and South District.
According to officials, the operation is being carried out with extreme caution as many of the unsafe buildings are located in densely populated areas surrounded by other residential structures.
SBCA demolition director Rehan Khan said the authority has started the first phase of demolition of structures declared dangerous. “Buildings in Lyari’s Agra Taj and Naya Abad colony are being demolished manually without the need for machinery,” he said, adding that the demolition operation has been ongoing for the last four days.
He said one floor of a seven-storey building in Lyari has already been demolished, while work is underway on the remaining six floors.
Khan added that in the first phase, dilapidated and unusable buildings in the Old City neighborhoods are being demolished. “There are more than 500 dangerous buildings across Karachi, including 106 in the Southern District alone,” he revealed, noting that all uninhabitable structures in the area will be razed in stages.
Meanwhile, two more buildings declared dangerous in Lyari have been evacuated as a precautionary measure, according to SBCA sources.
Separately, the SBCA decided to begin demolition work on residential project ‘Yasir Terrace’ in Gulistan-e-Jauhar on Monday morning. The building had previously been declared unusable, but demolition was delayed due to protests by residents when the SBCA team arrived on site last week.
Officials said the SBCA aims to clear all high-risk structures before the winter season to prevent potential tragedies that may be caused by building collapses.
Meanwhile, the operation to demolish houses in Afghan Basti, Gulshan-e-Maymar Afghan, entered its fifth day on Sunday, with more than 1,200 structures razed so far.
According to anti-encroachment director Amir Fazal Owaissi and Shayan Anjum, SHO Zone-I, the settlement, established in 1984 on 215 acres, housed over 3,200 residential and commercial units occupied by Afghan refugees.
Officials said the drive, which is part of the government’s repatriation policy for Afghan refugees, is being carried out jointly by the Anti-Invasion Force (MDA) and the police using heavy machinery.
DSP Manghopir Masroor Ahmed Jatoi said around 90% of the 15,000 residents have already returned to Afghanistan, while the rest will gradually leave as the operation continues until the ground is completely cleared.
In July, at least 27 people lost their lives when a five-story residential building collapsed in the Baghdadi area of Lyari, prompting the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) to launch a demolition drive targeting other unsafe structures in the surrounding area.
Since then, SBCA crews have begun demolishing several dilapidated buildings that were identified as potentially dangerous.
