KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Friday has ordered Director General Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) to lodge a criminal case against the builder who had raised ground plus six floor building on a residential plot in Karachi’s district central without an approved building plan.

The court directed the DG SBCA to also nominate in the case the delinquent officers of the authority who were posted at the time when the illegal construction was raised.

Petitioner Maryam Khatoon, had approached the court in 2020 pleading that a multistorey commercial construction was being raised on a residential plot in her neighborhood putting burden on utility and drainage services of the area.

In March 2020, the court had directed then DG SBCA to ensure that no illegal construction was raised on the plot in contravention of Karachi Building and Town Planning Regulations 2002.

On May 25, 2021, SBCA’s director of district central, Muhammad Raqeeb filed a report to the court showing that a ground plus six storey building had been constructed with obtaining approval for any building plan from the SBCA. The report pointed out several violations of Karachi Building and Town Planning Regulations committed by the builder.

A two-member bench headed by Justice Hassan Azhar Rizvi observed that the court had in May 2021 ordered demolition of the illegal construction, however, till to date, the orders passed by the court had not been complied with.

The bench directed the DG SBCA to demolish the illegal construction in terms of earlier order of the court within 45 days and submit a compliance report before the next date of hearing.