An imperative need for uniform building bylaws and other buildings related matters, besides harmony in the functions of Karachi Building Control Authority (KBCA) and Cantonment Boards, was stressed at an interaction dialogue between KBCA and Cantonment Boards initiated by KBCA Chief Brigadier (Retd) A. S. Nasir here on Wednesday.
The meeting was attended by representatives of all six Cantonment Boards, Railway, KPT, SITE and other stakeholders.
The KBCA chief was assisted by OSD Rauf Akhtar Farooqi and Controller Atique Baig.
At the outset of the meeting, the first to be held between two building control agencies, the KBCA chief emphasised the need for all stakeholders to deal with building control issues with harmony and resolve the outlying issues so as to transform Karachi into a well-planned, clean city, free of environmental hazards.
"Our combined role should be to check irregular building constructions and illegalities being committed in this field," Brigadier Nasir told the participants.
He said that City Nazim Naimatullah Khan had received complaints about irregularities in building construction which is a common problem in the areas under control of city government and those under cantonment boards.
He referred to the Sindh Building Control Ordinance and said that it is a comprehensive document, and other stakeholders should go through it and think, in its light, over having uniformity in laws and other building control matters.
He said that city is growing fast and time has come that building control laws should be applicable equally to the whole of the City.
He referred to layout plans of housing schemes to follow the Planning Standards as laid down in Karachi Building and Town Planning Regulations 2002 with particular reference to density, parking requirements and preservation of environment.
He told the participants to also go through Master Plan document and see if they could adopt it, in the greater interest of the city.
The KBCA chief stressed the need for assessing the availability of services, such as electricity, water and gas, through concerned agencies, before granting approval for housing/commercial complexes.
He said that in some cases where plans have been approved, people are suffering because of these constraints.
He said: "Why they should suffer and why not these services be made available to them in cases where plans have been approved?"
He said that a meeting would be held in Islamabad on Friday to discuss water and electricity issues.
Brig Nasir suggested exchange of technical information and said that KBCA, being the mother organisation for building control functions, may provide the relevant information, rules, regulations etc, as needed by any concerned agency, with a view to harmonising the functions.
The Chief Controller of Buildings also brought up the case of 'Amma Tower', located on Garden Road/M A Jinnah Road and asked how could cut line be restored. He said that near the Amma Tower, a multi-storey project of federal government Sports Complex is also coming up on an area of 5-6 acres and one wonders what the condition of the area would be if Amma Tower, in the jurisdiction of Cantonment Board, comes up, without proper cut line.
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