SBCA official says more than 500 buildings in Karachi have been declared unsafe, including 106 in the southern district alone
Amid debris and dust, workers are demolishing the rear part of Gudda Plaza, parts of which collapsed earlier. PHOTO: JALAL QURESHI/EXPRESS
The Sindh Building Control Authority has intensified its ongoing operations to demolish dilapidated and unsafe structures across the metropolitan city, with work currently underway in Lyari and the southern district.
Officials say the operation is being conducted with extreme caution because many dangerous buildings are located in densely populated areas, surrounded by other residential structures.
SBCA demolition director Rehan Khan said the authority had initiated the first phase of demolition of structures declared unsafe. “The buildings of Agra Taj Colony and Naya Abad in Lyari are being razed manually without using machines,” he said, adding that the demolition operation was underway for four days.
He said one floor of a seven-storey building in Lyari has already been demolished, while work on the remaining six floors is underway.
Khan added that under the first phase, dilapidated and unusable buildings in the Old City areas will be demolished. “There are more than 500 unsafe buildings in 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 other buildings declared unsafe in Lyari have been evacuated as a precautionary measure, according to SBCA sources.
Besides, the SBCA has decided to start the demolition work of the 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 from residents when the SBCA team arrived at the site last week.
Officials said the SBCA aims to clear all high-risk structures before the winter season to prevent possible tragedies from collapsing buildings.
Meanwhile, the house demolition operation in Afghan Basti, Gulshan-e-Maymar Afghan, entered its fifth day on Sunday, with over 1,200 structures razed so far.
According to anti-encroachment director Amir Fazal Owaissi and SHO Zone-I Shayan Anjum, the colony, established in 1984 on 215 acres, housed over 3,200 residential and commercial units occupied by Afghan refugees.
Officials said the operation, part of the government’s Afghan refugee repatriation policy, is being carried out jointly by the Anti-Encroachment Force (MDA) and police using heavy machinery.
DSP Manghopir Masroor Ahmed Jatoi said around 90 per cent of the 15,000 residents have already returned to Afghanistan, while the rest will leave gradually as the operation continues until the terrain is completely cleared.
In July, at least 27 people lost their lives when a five-story residential building collapsed in Baghdadi area of Lyari, prompting the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) to launch a demolition drive targeting other unsafe structures nearby.
SBCA crews have since begun demolishing several dilapidated buildings identified as potentially dangerous.
