Sindh Government Addresses Housing Concerns for Residents of Unsafe Buildings

Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon stated on Tuesday that providing housing for every resident in the province’s structurally unsound buildings is unfeasible due to resource limitations and the extensive scale of the issue.

During a morning broadcast, Memon revealed that 740 buildings across Sindh have been deemed unsafe, with 51 classified as critically dangerous. He also mentioned that 11 of the most hazardous structures have been successfully evacuated thus far.

Memon clarified that, while universal housing provision is not possible, the government could offer temporary shelter to some families, leveraging existing resources, similar to provisions made for flood victims and those affected by Covid-19.

He further noted that the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) has commenced demolishing uninhabitable structures adjacent to the collapsed five-story building in Lyari’s Baghdadi area.

The Sindh government has established a five-member committee to investigate the Lyari building collapse, which resulted in at least 27 fatalities. An official announcement on Tuesday named Karachi Commissioner Hassan Naqvi as the committee’s head. The Special Secretary of the Local Government Department and a Deputy Director from the SBCA are also part of the investigative body.

The committee is tasked with identifying the collapse’s cause, assigning responsibility, and proposing preventative actions. The report is expected to be submitted within 48 hours, according to the notification.

The Association of Builders and Developers (ABAD) has voiced its disapproval of the inquiry committee’s formation, deeming it inadequate and lacking impartiality. ABAD Chairman Hassan Bakshi questioned the likelihood of an unbiased investigation when officials from the involved organizations are responsible for conducting it. He suggested that the chief minister should have personally overseen the committee.

Bakshi criticized the Rs1 million compensation for the victims as insufficient and questioned why the Sindh government couldn’t provide housing subsidies akin to those offered by Punjab’s Maryam Nawaz.

Sindh Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani stated on Monday that the committee investigating the Lyari building collapse is also required to compile a report on the 51 other dangerously dilapidated buildings in Karachi. Following a comprehensive survey, the government plans to begin demolishing these structures.

His statements followed the conclusion of a nearly three-day search and rescue effort at the Lyari collapse site, where at least 27 individuals perished.