The Sindh government has successfully evacuated nine buildings declared unsafe in Lyari, as announced by senior provincial minister Sharjeel Memon on Thursday. This action follows the collapse of a multi-story residential building in the densely populated inner-city Lyari district last week, an area predominantly inhabited by working-class and low-income families residing in aging apartment blocks.
Memon stated that authorities have initiated the demolition of one of the dilapidated buildings in Lyari. He also confirmed that affected families would receive three months’ rent. The minister further added that the new Director General of the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) has mandated all officers to submit their asset details within 15 days. He also declared that stringent measures would be taken against officials involved in approving illegal building constructions.
According to the Lyari Town’s information department, a committee has been established to evaluate the condition of deteriorating buildings in the Ly Lyari area, prompted by safety concerns and recent structural incidents. Deputy Commissioner South Javed Nabi Khoso officially notified the committee’s formation. Municipal Commissioner Lyari Hammad N D Khan and Assistant Commissioner Lyari Shehryar Habib have been appointed as the committee’s conveners. The committee’s mandate includes conducting a comprehensive survey of damaged or potentially hazardous buildings and compiling a list of affected residents. The body also comprises DSP City, Mukhtiarkar Lyari, and the relevant Union Council chairman.
Meanwhile, two significant developments have emerged in the wake of the tragic building collapse in Lyari: the arrest of six SBCA officers in Karachi and the registration of the case concerning the horrific incident that claimed 27 lives. Sources informed Geo News that in a separate development, six SBCA officers have been apprehended by the police for questioning. These arrested officers reportedly include four senior directors, one deputy director, and an assistant director.
Furthermore, Karachi police have registered a case following the Lyari building collapse, naming top SBCA officers. The First Information Report (FIR) was filed at the Baghdadi Police Station based on a complaint from a section officer of the Sindh Local Government and Housing Town Planning Departments. According to the FIR, the building, which contained 20 flats, had been in a state of disrepair for a considerable period and was unfit for habitation. SBCA officers and staff were reportedly aware of the building’s deteriorating condition as early as 2022 but failed to take any remedial action.
Six directors, two deputy directors, and three building inspectors who served in the SBCA between 2022 and 2025 have been named in the case. The FIR alleges that the officers exhibited negligence and did not record the building’s hazardous condition in official documents. The current owners of the collapsed building were also among those nominated in the FIR. DIG South Asad Raza stated that the owners had rented out flats in the building despite its poor structural integrity. The case includes charges of negligence, manslaughter, and misuse of official authority. DIG Raza confirmed that all accused, with the exception of one director, have been taken into custody, and an investigation is ongoing.
