Top court hold SBCA responsible for 'Karachi's destruction'.

Byline: Nasir Butt

KARACHI -- The Supreme Court (SC) issued on Wednesday a written order holding the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) responsible for encroachments abounding in Karachi and directing relevant authorities to remove illegal structures from the city.

A three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed and comprising Justice Faisal Arab and Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, issued the order that states, 'SBCA is responsible for the city's destruction.' The order further accuses the SBCA officials of 'collecting bribes in exchange for allowing illegal construction.'

The order notes that laws of construction are being violated in Karachi, with the offenders being backed by the police and other government departments, beside SBCA officials.

The order calls for the Sindh chief minister to look into the matter and take measures for setting SBCA straight, which will be a stepping stone towards identifying and replacing corrupt officials with honest ones.

Referring to the construction of fuel stations on green belts and nullahs along the length of Shahrah-e-Quaideen, the order mentions that the Karachi commissioner had been informed of the violation but the petrol pumps' owners acquired a stay order from the high court when the city administration took action to reclaim the encroached land.

The order also mentions that the railway secretary had informed the court that the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) had decided to hand over the management of local trains to the provincial government, as a measure to restore Karachi Circular Railway. In light of this information, the apex court has ordered the...