Karachi is rapidly turning into a dense jungle of unauthorized constructions, emphasizing the urgent need for reforms in the city’s construction approval process.
Dr. Waseem Shamshad, Director General of Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA), visited the Association of Builders and Developers (ABAD) House today to discuss critical issues such as illegal constructions, building permissions, and the digitization of the approval system. The meeting highlighted the challenges faced by legitimate builders and the need to improve the approval process.
Hassan Bakhshi, Chairman of ABAD, expressed concern over the severe difficulties faced by law-abiding builders in obtaining necessary approvals. He emphasized the need to abolish the current table-to-table approval system in favor of a fully digitized process. Bakhshi stressed that such reforms are essential to curb Karachi’s rampant illegal constructions.
Additionally, Bakhshi proposed establishing a regional licensing office in Hyderabad and providing online licensing facilities for builders in interior Sindh. These measures aim to decentralize and make the approval process more accessible.
In response, Dr. Shamshad assured a zero-tolerance policy against unauthorized constructions while promising to streamline the approval procedures as part of broader ease-of-doing-business measures. He announced the introduction of a post-inspection system and the digitization of processes such as challans, fees, and work certificates to ensure effective building maintenance.
Dr. Shamshad also promised that all regulatory changes would be made in consultation with relevant stakeholders, highlighting a collaborative approach to reforms in Karachi’s construction sector.