The final act of the Nasla Tower’s demolition has commenced. The residents of the building’s approximately 55 flats have evacuated. The Supreme Court has ordered that the tower be demolished via a controlled explosion. While the Sindh administration seems baffled as to how this can be accomplished, it’s worth noting that the compensation promised to the evacuees has yet to be paid.
Rukhsana Zuberi, a member of the Senate’s Standing Committee on Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives requested on Thursday (28 October) that the Sindh government pay the residents the money promised as compensation right away.
The evacuees had been told that they would be compensated the market value of their flats within three months of the demolition by the Supreme Court.
Zuberi, while talking to the Sindh government said “These are over 50 families. They are being thrown on the streets. What will they do? Where will they go? If you’re not paying them, at least give them a substitute house to live in.”
Nasla Tower – illegal
The top court ordered the tower to be demolished within a week on Monday. Following this, the building’s gas, water, and power connections were turned off on October 26.
In June 2021, Nasla Tower, a 15-story residential project at the corner of Shahrah-e-Faisal and Sharah-e-Quaideen, was deemed illegal.
Court issues written orders
The Supreme Court handed down a written decision in the Nasla Tower case on Thursday. As per the written document, “Demolition should be done with remote-controlled contemporary technologies. Look at how it’s done in other nations.”
The structure should be demolished within a week of October 27, but no other structures or buildings should be destroyed in the process. The court also stated that the building’s owner should be responsible for the demolition costs.
It was also notified that if the rightful owner of the Nasla Tower forfeits to pay then the land will be sold by the commissioner of Karachi.
The Karachi commissioner, on the other hand, has placed an advertisement in a renowned newspaper seeking interest in deconstructing the tower in the safest and shortest manner possible. Companies with experience dismantling buildings through controlled implosion would be given priority, according to the statement.
The Sindh government lacks the necessary skills and equipment to use a controlled implosion blast to collapse Nasla Tower. According to the report, “A controlled detonation might cause the Nursery Bridge, neighboring buildings, and water and other utility pipelines to collapse,” according to the report.
Nasla tower case
Nasla Tower was built on the encroached ground, according to the Supreme Court. It concluded that there is “no denial” that the plot was improperly expanded. The tower was erected on a 1,044 square yard area that was originally 780 square yards.
As a result, the tower’s builder and residents filed separate review petitions to prevent the authorities from dismantling the structure.
The petitioners’ counsel stated at a hearing on September 23 that the construction was permitted despite the lease cancellations, and that the occupants are not to blame in these circumstances.
