The Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) has launched a crackdown against illegal and dangerous buildings in Karachi.
As part of the operation, the Demolition Squad demolished an illegal building named Arha Arcade located in Agarha Taj Colony, Lyari.
SBCA Demolition Director Rehan Khan said that Arha Arcade was declared hazardous in July 2025. The residential building was constructed on a 60-square-yard plot with a ground plus 7 floors.
A total of 14 families were living in the building, and the top three floors have already been vacated. The building was constructed without any approved architectural plan.
The Director added that Arha Arcade was declared unsafe just days after another residential building collapsed in Lyari on July 4.
Authorities said that the SBCA team will demolish two hazardous buildings and evacuate two others in the Old City Area today.
Early in July, 27 people were killed when a dilapidated building collapsed in Lyari town in Karachi.
Initial investigations revealed that the building, which originally had three floors, was declared unsafe for habitation in 2022. Instead of being vacated, the owner constructed an additional two floors with the alleged connivance of the building control authorities.
Karachi, the country’s commercial capital with a population of over 20 million people, is home to hundreds of dilapidated buildings due to the ravages of time and chronic neglect.
