Gul Plaza inquiry commission issues notice to DG SBCA

KARACHI: The judicial commission investigating the Gul Plaza fire tragedy has issued a notice to the Director General of the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA), seeking legal clarification on the enforcement of building regulations.

The commission has directed DG SBCA to submit a report on which institution bears legal responsibility for ensuring compliance with the Karachi Building and Town Planning Regulations. It also directed the SBCA to provide references to the relevant legal provisions.

Furthermore, the commission sought a detailed explanation of SBCA’s role in the implementation and monitoring of the Karachi Building and Town Planning Regulations 2002, as well as clarification in light of the Sindh Building Control Ordinance 1979 and other applicable rules.

The commission has instructed that all responses and supporting documents be submitted to its secretariat by April 1, 2026.

Earlier, the SBCA had submitted a written reply to the commission, stating that the initial building plan for Gul Plaza was approved by the Karachi Development Authority (KDA) in August 1979.

According to the authority, the building plan was later reviewed and regularized in 1998 and 2003.

However, the Director General of SBCA informed the commission that the original file and initial records of the building are missing and could not be located in the record room, making it difficult to verify details of the originally approved structure and its usage.

The SBCA stated that in the revised plan, the building included a basement, ground floor, and three upper floors, which was approved by the Karachi Building Control Authority (KBCA).

It further noted that 1,043 shops were approved in 1998, while 1,102 shops were regularized under an amnesty scheme in 2003.

Background

The inquiry relates to the devastating fire that broke out at Gul Plaza on M.A. Jinnah Road on the night of January 17. The blaze engulfed the commercial building, claiming dozens of lives, and continued for more than 32 hours before it was brought under control.

The incident exposed significant shortcomings in Karachi’s emergency response system and raised serious concerns about building safety and regulatory enforcement.