Speaking about Nasla Tower, Ghani says humanitarian action should have been taken to solve the issue
\nNews Desk
\nPESHAWAR
\nSindh Information Minister Saeed Ghani on Monday said that the provincial government wants to regularise houses built on government land as evacuation and demolition of illegally-constructed buildings affect thousands of people.
\nSpeaking during a press conference in Peshawar, Ghani referenced the Nasla Tower debacle and said that Sindh should have the authority to regularise old settlements on state-owned plots.
\nThe minister went on to say that due to the demolition of illegal buildings or the evacuation of settlements, millions of people have to lose their homes.
\n\u201cThese people are not in a position to rebuild their homes, therefore, it becomes the responsibility of the government to save their homes,\u201d Ghani said.
\nCiting the example of Punjab, he said that the provincial government therein is bringing an ordinance to regularise illegally-constructed housing societies, therefore, Sindh should be given the same authority.
\nGhani also took a jibe at Prime Minister Imran Khan and said that even Bani Gala had to be regularised so the same could be done for poor people\u2019s houses.
\n\u201cImran Khan lives in a 300-kanal house, tell me what is his source of livelihood?\u201d Ghani questioned.
\nShedding light on the demolition of Nasla Tower, Ghani said that instead of taking legal action, humanitarian action should have been taken to solve the issue.
\n\u201cWhen it comes to construction works, minor violations occur throughout Pakistan,\u201d he said, adding that things are made easier for areas where the rich reside.
\n\u201cThere are examples where government land has been illegally occupied for the last 50 years,\u201d he said.
\n\u2018Those who approved Nasla Tower plan be punished first\u2019
\nTwo days ago, Ghani had demanded that those who are responsible for issuing construction permits for the Nasla Tower building should be held responsible and punished.
\nSpeaking during Geo News\u2019 show \u201cAaj Shahzaib Khanzada Kay Saath,\u201d the minister said the guilty party \u2014 whether it be the Sindh government or the Nasla Tower builder \u2014 should be punished rather than those who bought the flats.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor sake of argument if I say the builder is at fault, Sindh government is at fault, Saeed Ghani is at fault or even if Murad Ali Shah is at fault, punish them first,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He called on the courts to hand exemplary punishments to those responsible for the construction of the tower rather than those who were residing in it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think they [Nasla Tower affectees] are even 1% responsible,\u201d he stated. \u201cWhen they bought flats or shops there, I am sure they must have checked all the SBCA approvals and maps before doing so,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Speaking about providing compensation to affectees, he said it is \u201cnot an easy task\u201d as there are a lot of [illegally constructed] buildings in Karachi and it would take billions of rupees and 10-15 years to fully compensate them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Speaking about Nasla Tower, Ghani says humanitarian action should have been taken to solve the issue News Desk PESHAWAR Sindh Information Minister Saeed Ghani on Monday said that the provincial government wants to regularise houses built on government land as evacuation and demolition of illegally-constructed buildings affect thousands of people. Speaking during a press conference […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-230049","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n