-
-
Karachi residential plots will no longer be allowed for commercial activities after the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) officially withdrew its earlier notification.
In a written statement submitted to the Sindh High Court (SHC), SBCA Director General Muhammad Ishaq Khuhro confirmed that the March 13, 2025, notification has been canceled.
The court was hearing petitions filed by opposition members and town chairpersons who objected to the SBCA’s controversial decision.
The petitions were filed by Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), City Council Opposition Leader Saifuddin Advocate, and nine town heads. They argued that the move to allow commercial activities on residential and amenity plots was illegal and would damage city planning.
The petitioners said SBCA had secretly amended the Karachi Building and Town Planning Regulations, removing “healthcare” from the list of permitted uses and changing the purpose of amenity plots without public consultation. They also said the amendment took away the public’s right to object to land use changes.
Following SBCA’s statement, the Sindh High Court disposed of the petitions.
On the other hand, SBCA also issued a circular revoking recent changes made to the 2002 building regulations, calling them null and void.
The authority exercised its power under Section 21-A of the Sindh Building Control Ordinance, 1979, to reverse the amendments.
Editor at Times of Karachi
