KARACHI: The Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) on Tuesday informed the Public Accounts Committee that 588 dangerous and dilapidated buildings existed in Karachi, including 444 heritage structures, out of 741 such buildings identified across Sindh.

The disclosure was made during a meeting chaired by PAC Chairman Nisar Khuhro, which reviewed audit paras related to the SBCA.

The meeting was attended among others by PAC Members Taha Ahmed and Mukhdoom Fakharuzzaman, local government secretary and SBCA Director General Waseem Shamshad and Additional DG Ali Ghaffran.

Audit officials objected that 588 buildings declared dangerous by the SBCA technical committee in Karachi had not been demolished, posing a direct threat to human lives.

SBCA says demolition approved for 39 structures; 58 illegal housing schemes operating in Karachi without NOCs, meeting told

SBCA officials told the committee that the technical committee had declared 741 buildings dangerous across the province — 588 in Karachi, 80 in Hyderabad, 50 in Sukkur and the rest in other districts. Of the 588 buildings in Karachi, 444 are heritage structures.

The PAC was informed that 59 dangerous buildings had been evacuated and demolition had been approved for 39 buildings. However, residents of the remaining structures were refusing to vacate the buildings until alternative accommodation was provided to them and notices had been issued to occupants of the dangerous buildings.

The PAC chairman asked what had been done on the committee’s earlier directive to the chief secretary to devise a mechanism for evacuating residents of dangerous buildings and providing them alternatives in view of possible loss of life.

The secretary of local government replied that the chief minister had constituted a committee headed by the Karachi commissioner to arrange rental assistance and alternative housing for residents of dangerous buildings.

He said that the SBCA could not demolish dangerous heritage buildings without a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the culture department’s heritage committee.

Khuhro said if residents were refusing to leave dangerous buildings, the government should obtain written statements that it would not be held responsible in case of any loss. “Human lives are most important,” he said, and directed the SBCA to submit a report on how many people have been evacuated.

The PAC also decided to summon the heritage committee in the next meeting to discuss dangerous heritage properties.

Committee Member Taha Ahmed pointed out that several high-rise buildings had been constructed illegally around Mazar-i-Quaid. He asked which officers had approved them and demanded action. “Unless there is accountability, there will be no improvement,” he said.

The SBCA officials told the PAC that NOCs from relevant agencies were mandatory for buildings over 50 feet. The PAC sought a report from the SBCA on illegal high-rises around the mausoleum.

Audit officials also flagged 58 illegal housing schemes operating in Karachi without NOCs.

The SBCA officials said that any housing scheme running without an NOC was illegal. They said that such schemes were being marketed by unregistered builders through social media campaigns, often without even a booking office.

The PAC directed the SBCA to stop public investment in the 58 illegal schemes, take action against the builders running them, and make their names public.

The officials said that notices had been issued regarding these schemes, and public warnings had been published in newspapers listing the names of the housing schemes and societies to prevent investment.

Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2026