KARACHI: The Sindh government has drafted an ordinance to regularize certain illegal buildings and stop anti-encroachment operations across the province.

The ordinance has been sent to the Sindh Governor Imran Ismail for promulgation. The ordinance is aimed at halting anti-encroachment operations from Karachi to Kashmore with immediate effect.

The move to legalize residential buildings comes following the Supreme Court’s order to demolish Karachi’s Nasla Tower and Tejori Heights. Under the ordinance, a commission headed by a retired Sindh High Court (SHC) judge, would be formed to identify illegal structures. The secretary of Local Government and Housing Town Planning, Government of Sindh, will be its secretary.

The Supreme Court (SC) has recently ordered the Karachi commissioner to double the number of labourers and demolish the Nasla Tower within one week. Association of Builders and Developers of Pakistan (ABAD) Tuesday demanded for chalking out a plan to regularize illegal structures in the province. A delegation of builders and realtors led by Chairman ABAD Mohsin Sheikhani conveyed their grievances in a meeting with Governor Sindh Imran Ismail at the Governor House.

ABAD’s representatives discussed with the Sindh governor the challenges and issues faced by the construction industry and their probable solutions. They were of the view that a regularization commission should be established in Sindh like Punjab to regularize illegal buildings and housing projects.

The ABAD office-bearers asked the governor to introduce a one-window operation for real estate projects for easing out the procedure of obtaining No Objection Certificates and approvals which will benefit the prospective property buyers and real estate developers.