Karachi Commissioner Iqbal Memon has constituted an eight-member committee for the evaluation and selection of the company to demolish Nasla Tower using a controlled blast.
An offer of expression of interest was published on October 27 in leading newspapers for the demolition of the 15-storey residential building under a Supreme Court order.
The Nasla Tower is built over 1,121 square yards on Plot No193-A in the Sindhi Muslim Cooperative Housing Society or SMCHS at Shahrae Faisal.
According to a notification issued by the Commissioner Office on Friday, the committee will assess and evaluate companies for their technical expertise. The members will have one day to review the companies.
The eight-member committee comprises of
- Asif Jan, Deputy Commissioner, Karachi East (Chairman)
- Saleem Raza, Director General SBCA
- Abdul Jabbar Sangi, Head of Civil Engineering Department NED University
- Lt. Col. Hasnain M Rashid, Commanding Officer FWO
- Shabi-ul-Hassan, Director General Works & Technical KMC
- Qamar Raza Jiskani, SSP East Karachi
- Bashir Siddiqui, Senior Director Anti Encroachment KMC
- Amber Ali Bhai from Shehri-Citizens
The terms of reference of the committee include evaluation of bids received under the expression of interest for the demolition of the Nasla Tower, and recommendation of the most suitable firm for such demolition and related advice.
On Thursday, the district administration took over the control of the Nasla Tower. However, some residents had not vacated the building by then.
According to the Supreme Court’s orders, the 15-storey building has to be taken down through a controlled blast and the provincial government is confused about how that will happen. Meanwhile, the compensation amount promised to the evacuees has not yet been paid.
Rukhsana Zuberi, a member of the Senate’s Standing Committee on Planning Development and Special Initiatives, demanded that the Sindh government pay the residents the money promised to them in compensation.
Earlier, the apex court promised the evacuees that they will be paid the market value of the flats within three months of the demolition.
Implications of a controlled blast?
A meeting convened by Karachi Commissioner decided to hire a foreign firm after experts revealed that Pakistan lacked the expertise to use controlled blast to demolish buildings, though it did use controlled detonation to cut through mountains.
SAMAA Digital’s Sohail Rab Khan reported on what plans were being considered for the controlled blast in a densely populated area.
A controlled detonation “may collapse the Nursery Bridge and adjacent buildings and rupture water and other utility pipelines”. It was not possible “because the building is located in a densely populated area with a heavy traffic flow”.
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