Karachi builders seek removal of high rise building ban

The Association of Builders and Developers of Pakistan (ABAD) once again called for the removal of ban on the construction of high rise buildings in Karachi city, Sindh province.

The Supreme Court (SC) ruled recently that the ban imposed on construction of high-rise buildings in specific residential and commercial localities will remain in force in the metropolis. The SC banned construction of high-rise buildings in the urban centres citing water shortage.

ABAD has appealed to the President of Pakistan, Dr Arifur Rehman Alvi; the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Mian Saqib Nisar; Prime Minster of Pakistan, Imran Khan, and Chief Minister of Sindh, Murad Ali Shah, to repeal the 19 month-old ban that is harming the construction industry. More than 500 construction projects have stopped in the past 19 months, leading to the unemployment of nearly 1.5m skilled and unskilled people. More than 100 rolling mills have closed due to the low demand of steel, which has affected the ship breaking industry that's now on the brink of closure.

Furthermore, cement, tile and other 72 allied industries production sales have dropped over 50 per cent, leading to serve recession, affecting her economy of Sindh and increasing the deficit in tax recoveries for the goverrnment which is already facing financial crunch.