HYDERABAD   -  The Sindh High Court (SHC) has ordered Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) to unseal the parking area of a commercial building in Heerabad area of Hydera-bad. 

The Hyderabad Circuit Bench on Friday also directed the SBCA to take action against the building in question for violating any building control regulations in ac-cordance with the law. 

“As far as the question of other violations in construction of the subject building is concerned, the Regional Director SBCA is directed to take action in respect thereof strictly in accordance with law,” the order reads. 

The authority’s Hyderabad Region Director Naveed Asim apprised the court that he directed his staff to seal the parking area because it was being used for storage purposes. 

He maintained that there were serious violations in construction of the building, including violation of providing Compulsory Open Space (COS).  The petitioner Muhammad Malik’s counsel told the court that the building named Abdul Lateef Plaza was constructed 30-year ago. According to him, the SBCA on October 19, 2020, sealed the parking area. 

He added that on November 18, 2020, the SBCA wrote letters to sub-registrar and mukhtiarkar city taluka to stop transfer of ownership of properties located in the plaza. 

On the same date another letter was written to the DC and SSP Hyderabad for providing assistance during demolition of the same building.  The SBCA, simultaneously, wrote letters to Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (HESCO), Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL) and Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) to stop the supply of utilities to the building. 

The petitioner prayed the court to order the SBCA to withdraw the impugned no-tification of demolishing the building as well as letters sent to the sub-registrar, mukhtiarkar, HESCO, SSGCL and WASA. 

The hearing was adjourned till February 25.