An annual audit of the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA)—the provincial body that regulates building safety and construction approvals in Sindh—has found that 740 dangerous buildings in Karachi remain standing, according to the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP), the country’s top public-accounts auditor.
The AGP report also points to weaknesses in how demolition work was contracted, how long construction permits take, and whether required sale clearances were obtained before approvals were issued.
Dangerous buildings still not cleared
The audit says the 740 hazardous structures identified in Karachi have not been demolished. It further states that contracts to bring down dangerous buildings were given without the machinery and technical skill required for that work.
For residents living near or inside such structures, that means the safety risk identified on paper has not yet been removed on the ground.
Single-window permits slower than the old system
The report questions the performance of the single-window system introduced for issuing construction permits. Despite that facility, the audit says approvals took an average of 50.85 days.
By comparison, under the manual system in 2019 the same kind of permits were issued in about 14 days on average. The finding suggests the digital one-stop process has not shortened waiting times for builders and property buyers who need those approvals.
Approvals without sale NOCs and project irregularities
Audit officials say building permits were also issued without the mandatory no-objection certificate (NOC) required for sale and advertising. Selling units without that clearance, they warn, can leave the public facing legal complications later.
In New Nazimabad, the audit objects to two projects being restarted after their names were changed, and to extra floors being built without fresh agreements with allottees. Similar concerns were recorded for Globe Residency One and Two.
Unlicensed builders were given plan approvals and permits, the report says. It also objects to additional floors on high-rise buildings without prior strength and stability tests and soil checks. Irregularities linked to the booking of mortgaged plots are part of the findings as well.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Karachi mein 740 khatarnak imaaratein abhi tak girayi nahi gain, audit ke mutabiq. Building permit ab pehle se zyada time le rahe hain, average 50.85 din. Bina sale NOC ke approvals milne se buyers ko qanooni masla ho sakta hai. Ordinary logon ke liye yeh matlab hai ke imarat ki safety aur papers dono check karna zaroori hai.
