Gul Plaza fire: SBCA submits written reply to judicial probe

KARACHI: The Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) submitted its written reply to the judicial commission inquiring into the deadly fire in the shopping mall in January that claimed several lives.

“The KDA had issued the initial building plan in August 1979,” SBCA said. “The building plan’s review and regularization was held in years 1998 and 2003”.

DG SBCA said that Gul Plaza’s original file and initial record has not been available, which is not found in the record room. “The details of the initially approved floors and their use could not be verified”.

“In the revised plan the building was included the basement, ground and three upper floors,” DG SBCA said. “The revised building plan was approved by the ‘KBCA”.

SBCA said that under the 1998 total 1043 shops were approved in Gul Plaza, in 2003, 1102 shops were regularized under the amnesty scheme.

Building authority said that under the 1998 plan 115 substandard shops internal division was approved. “In 2003 additional 59 shops added including 26 substandard shops, DG SBCA said.

SBCA stated that the building authority won’t regularly monitor a building after its completion and no action taken until new construction or alteration reported to the authority.

“The regularization plan points out stairs from the basement till 3rd floor of the building,” DG said.

He said the authority had conducted its latest formal survey of the premises on Feb 22, 2003. “There were some irregularities were noted, which were able to be regularized, and the violations were regularized with a fee under the amnesty scheme”.

He said the building was not declared as dangerous prior to the fire incident. “Technical committee declared the building dangerous in inspection after the fire”.

On Saturday night, January 17, a massive fire broke out at Gul Plaza on M.A. Jinnah Road, engulfing the commercial building and trapping dozens inside. The blaze raged for over 32 hours before being brought under control, exposing weaknesses of the Karachi’s emergency response system.