Illegal buildings: Civic bodies restrained from giving amenitie

[Salman]

KARACHI, Oct 9: The Sindh High Court on Tuesday restrained all civic agencies from giving new water, gas and power connections to buildings being constructed in the city without the issuance of no-objection certificates by the Sindh Building Control Authority.

A division bench comprising Justices Maqbool Baqar and Naimatullah Phulpoto once again gave this direction while hearing a petition of the Pukar Foundation, a non-government organisation, against the construction of a multi-storeyed building in Bihar Muslim Cooperative Housing Society in Gulshan-i-Iqbal.

The court also restrained the registrar and sub-registrars from registering lease or sub-lease of any building constructed in violation of buildings laws.

According to the petitioner, many irregularities had been committed in the construction of the multi-storied building comprising ground plus three floors for parking and eight upper floors. He requested the court to order the relevant civic agencies to demolish illegal structures and disconnect connections of civic amenities to the project.

The bench ordered: “We would, therefore, once again very clearly and categorically restrain all those amenities/ agencies providing various amenities, including electricity and gas, not to provide further connection to any unit/building without NOC from concerned/competent officers of the Sindh Building Control Authority.”

The court also warned that the non-compliance of the order would expose the errant officer/defaulter to contempt proceedings
The bench ordered the SBCA law officer to obtain a copy of the order from the office to send it to all civic agencies for compliance, and put off the hearing to a date to be announced by the court’s office.

Meanwhile, a division bench headed by Chief Justice Mushir Alam recalled its earlier order suspending a police inspector in the detention case of a Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz activist.

The bench had on Sept 18 ordered suspension of three police officers — former SHO of the Ranipur police station Ghulam Qadir Jatoi, SHO of Ranipur Khadim Hussain Memon and officer in charge of the CIA, Larkana, Abdul Qadir Chandio for failing to find the missing man.