| ISLAMABAD: City managers have directed owners of all commercial and highrise buildings of the capital to get their buildings vetted for structural stability from third party consultants as Islamabad is in Zone-2 B (Seismic).
Deputy Director General Mohammad Shahbaz Hussain on Wednesday issued a circular, directing all wings of building control top carry out survey of all commercial and high rise buildings.
A letter, which was addressed to all three directors of building control stated: “As Islamabad is in Zone 2-B (Seismic), so Chairman CDA has desired that building control should conduct survey of all commercial buildings/high rise buildings within ICT limits so that awareness be created amongst the stake holders regarding the importance of structural stability of buildings.
All developers, owners, occupants are advised that buildings should be vetted for structural stability from reputable third party consultants, so as to avoid any untoward event, read the letter.
Sources say majority of buildings in capital operating without occupancy certificates
It is relevant to note here that Pakistan is particularly prone to earthquakes as it lies over the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates and is likely to experience violent tremors where the two plates collide. Islamabad is also partially located on a fault line.
“There is no need to panic. We are doing this exercise to check structural stability of buildings. The reports of consultants to be hired by owners/occupants will inform us if building structures are stable or not. So this is an exercise to point out faulty buildings, if any, to avoid any untoward incident,” said an officer of CDA, adding that due to the negligence of CDA, Margalla Tower in F-10, which was occupied without CDA’s completion certificate, had collapsed that killed over 70 people in the 2005 earthquake.
In Islamabad, a majority of highrise buildings are operating without obtaining completion certificates and a certified fire and safety system.
The completion certificate is known as an occupancy certificate and such documents deal with structural stability, fire and safety systems and so on. However, the owners of these buildings started operating businesses, apparently in connivance with CDA, in the said buildings without getting occupancy certificates. While, CDA’s building control section, which issues occupancy certificates in majority of the cases restricted itself to issuing notices only.
Like commercial buildings, residential apartments are also being operated without completion certificates. CDA officials said the civic agency had auctioned around 30 plots in urban areas where apartment buildings had been built and their owners occupied them in alleged connivance with some officials without obtaining the certificates.
The CDA had auctioned plots in various sectors that include 11 in F-11, five in G-11, four in F-10 and one in G-8. Apart from this, there are also a large number of apartment buildings in rural areas, where the CDA has been paying little attention.
In rural areas such as Tarnol, Bhara Kahu, Tramri, Lehtrar Road, Khanna Pul and some of CDA’s un-acquired sectors such as H-13, which are dotted with commercial and high rise buildings, even layout plans for buildings have not been approved.
Published in Dawn, February 15th, 2023 |
|
