KARACHI  -  The Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) is ready to take action on apex court orders regarding halt to commercial activities on residential land, officials of the authority estimated that five million people will suffer in this drive.

A high official of SBCA while talking to The Nation said that the authority has finalised a strategy to initiate a drive to halt commercial activity on residential land as per Supreme Court orders. He said that during the drive could create worst law and order situation because there are not few buildings but thousands of houses will be demolished and around 5 million people would be ousted in the drive. The ousted people will resist and may be affected people will stage violent protests.

The officials said that not only houses will be removed in the drive but thousands of schools, hospitals, marriage halls and other social services organisations will also be affected in the drive.

The officials said very few amenity plots are existed in the city and mostly schools and hospitals were established on residential plots. “May be SBCA will face massive resistance to remove the schools and hospitals from residential lands but the authority bound to remove these organisations under the court orders,” official added.

To replying a question, the official said that SBCA has not powers to provide alternate place to affected people. 

In addition, the Source further pointed that there are hundreds of slum areas (Katchi Abadi) that have been established the in the city since last 40 years and the Sindh government already regularised them.

“How it is possible that these Katchi Abadis would be demolished under court order as due to political vote bank in these slums, no political party in Sindh is willing to abolish these neighbourhoods,” he said.

On Wednesday, the Director General SBCA Iftikhar Qaimkhani during a meeting with all directors of Sindh Building Control Authority clearly issued directives that the orders of Supreme Court of Pakistan dated 22nd January 2019 will be complied at any cost with maximum effort. The directors were further directed to start the task of demolition and sealing of illegal marriage lawns /halls and all misuse of residential premises into commercial activity without any delay on emergency basis.

When contacted to SBCA spokesperson Farhan Qaiser, he told that SBCA initiated drive with immediate effect with coordination of City and District Administration following the orders of apex court regarding restore the city to how it was 40 years ago. Replying a question, he said that SBCA will also take on board to police and Rangers during the drive to control law and order situation. He said that it was not easy task to remove the thousand of occupied buildings, which may deteriorate the law and order situation.

It is worth to mentioning here that during a case hearing in Supreme Court Karachi Registry, court order the Director General Sindh Building Control Authority, the city would be restored to how it was 40 years ago, directed authorities to demolish unlawful constructions.