The Sindh High Court (SHC) has ordered the immediate de-sealing of shops on Napier Road and directed the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) to decide on the owners’ application within three weeks.
The SHC bench was hearing a petition filed by the shopkeepers. The petitioner’s counsel submitted that the premises had been constructed before the creation of Pakistan, yet the SBCA had recently declared them illegal.
He added that a neighbouring building had existed for more than 50 years without objection.
The bench questioned the SBCA over the basis of terming the structures illegal after several decades and asked the petitioner whether any part of the shop had encroached upon the road. The counsel replied that not even an inch extended beyond the boundary.
The court directed the SBCA to process the shopkeepers’ application expeditiously and ordered that the sealed shops be reopened without delay.
