ABAD stops countrywide construction work

KARACHI: The Association of Builders and Developers (ABAD) Chairman, Mohsin Shaikhani has announced that the association has stopped construction of projects across the country, ARY News reported on Monday.

The chairman ABAD said the population of Karachi has reached 30million and as many as 700 illegal buildings are being constructed in the city.

Commenting on the ordinance to regularise residential buildings by the Sindh government, Mohsin Shaikhani said that they talked about the ordinance because they have been taking NOCs from 17 different institutions.

He said the ABAD has met with the Sindh governor and other political parties of the city and added that Sindh government has been urged to make such legislation so that no one can face trouble in the future.

Earlier, it emerged that the Sindh government has drafted an ordinance aimed at providing relief to the people of the province by regularizing illegal constructions and housing units.

The draft of the legislation has been forwarded to Governor Imran Ismail for approval.

The move to relgularise residential buildings comes after much hue and cry following the Supreme Court’s order to demolish Karachi’s Nasla Tower.

Under the ordinance, a commission headed by a retired Sindh High Court (SHC) judge would be formed that will identify illegal structures.

The secretary of Local Government and Housing Town Planning, Government of Sindh, will be its secretary.

The demolition works on illegal settlements will be stopped for a period of 90 days, according to the ordinance’s draft.