In Karachi there are more than 800 katchi abadies and many high-rise buildings, majority of which does not have basic fire and safety precautions, like fire escapes or sprinklers nor are they earthquake-proof. But neither the KBCA nor ABAD has bothered to check or monitor these building violations.
After the terrible Margalla tragedy, the government should review its priorities and stop 5 star development programmes, like jet fountains, tallest building in the region, etc, and come down to earth and save the existing buildings and the lives of the unsuspecting citizens who live in these death traps.
They should also consider cutting down money that is spent on convoys of Mercedes, the number of foreign visits and the delegates that accompany them and Defence, and spend the money on basic facilities and the health services of our country, which is presently 1% of our nation's annual budget.
The regulatory bodies that are supposed to check the safety of these buildings must take appropriate steps to save our cities from such future disasters. A high powered committee, headed by a retired judge of the Supreme Court and comprising of senior structural engineers and architects, members of ABAD and KBCA, must be set up immediately to review and examine the structural designs and the safety of the existing high rise buildings in all major cities of Pakistan against an earthquake.
A similar committee must also be established to draw up a blue print for National Disaster Management Plan for all major cities of Pakistan. The report must be submitted to the PM within six months and put into implementation on a war footing.
A list of these unsafe buildings must also be published in all leading newspapers, announced through the electronic media and posted in the buildings that are declared unsafe, so that the occupants are aware of the dangers of living in these buildings.
Action must be taken against the builders of those buildings that are declared unsafe by the committee. And those, who are responsible for the collapse of the Margalla Towers and the death of innocent citizens, must be made accountable and punished.
The Helpline Trust Karachi.