Sindh Minister Saeed Ghani on Monday announced a committee formed to probe the collapse of a five-story building in Karachi’s Lyari last week is also examining 51 other severely dilapidated buildings across the city, adding they will be demolished if the survey finds them dangerous to public health.
Addressing a press conference alongside ministers Sharjeel Inam Memon and Ziaul Hasan Lanjar, he said the city commissioner has also been directed to compile data on 588 other buildings deemed dangerous.
Last week, a building collapsed in Lyari, killing 27 people, including nine women, 15 men, and two children. The incident raised questions about building safety in Karachi, with residents demanding the government ensure all construction was up to code.
During today’s press conference, Ghani said several notices had been issued regarding the unsafe structure of the collapsed building. However, he admitted, there was little follow-through on the notices and no steps taken to evacuate such buildings. “We are examining how to prosecute those responsible for unauthorized buildings,” he said.
According to the minister, the provincial government will grant Rs. 1 million in compensation for each victim’s family. He emphasized that this would not help them during their bereavement but said many of the victims hailed from an impoverished background and this sum would help them relocate.
Minister Memon, meanwhile, said Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah had chaired an emergency meeting on the building collapse and decided to suspend the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) director general. Minister Lanjar said cases would be registered against all officials found guilty of negligence. “Criminal negligence will not be tolerated,” he warned.
A preliminary report compiled by the SBCA has found that the collapsed structure, housing over 40 people in 20 apartments, was 30 years old and had previously been marked unsafe. It has claimed that it issued formal evacuation notices two years ago, with the most recent served on June 25, 2025. It claimed it had also directed K-Electric and the water board to disconnect utility services to the building but neither was it evacuated, nor were the utilities shut off.
A day earlier, the Sindh chief minister urged citizens to verify whether residential buildings have obtained all necessary approvals before purchasing flats. He said the government is currently reviewing options for relocating residents of over 400 “dangerous” buildings in Karachi’s Old City Area.