Building by-laws fall through the cracks in Islamabad.

RAWALPINDI -- The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has failed in implementing building codes in various parts of the city, as hundreds of high-rises, both commercial and apartment complexes, have been constructed without due approval from the civic agency in the city prone to earthquakes.

On the other hand, cracks appeared on at least five buildings in Rawalpindi prompting notices from civic authorities which declared at least 80 structures dangerous and also formed teams for inspections of high-rises across the garrison city in light of the scary quake.

Cracks appear on buildings

The 6.8 magnitude earthquake which struck Islamabad 'slightly damaged' some buildings, including a major apartment complex in Sector E-11 and a high-rise in Blue Area which houses the offices of the PIA.

This needs to serve as a wake-up call for the city managers to ensure all buildings in Islamabad are built in accordance with the building code of 2007, which was introduced two years after the devastating earthquake of 2005.

However, CDA, owing to its negligence, still does not have a complete record of buildings in the capital territory, particularly in sectors E-11 and H-13 which appear to be 'no-man's land' for the civic body officials.

A large number of buildings in these areas - the heart of the city but not acquired by CDA - were constructed without the approval of the authorities concerned and the civic agency never made any serious attempts to enforce its by-laws in these sectors.

The 13-storey Khudadad Heights, located on Margalla Road in E-11, sustained multiple cracks in several floors as a result of the earthquake which shook the building like a pendulum.

During a visit to the said building, Dawn noticed that cracks appeared on walls on the ground floor, which were being remedied by the administration through paint and concrete coating. However, the building remained operational contrary to initial rumours about evacuation.

'Last night was horrible; the building trembled like a pendulum. Most occupants did not initially react, but after the second shock, which was very strong, everyone rushed out of the complex. I saw many people yelling and crying,' said Hasan Shah, a student who lives on the third floor.

He said that within a few minutes, almost everyone managed to exit the building and people spent almost two hours in front of the building before going back inside.

Unauthorised construction

Since the CDA does not deal with the majority of...