By our correspondent
KARACHI: A Karachi court has ruled that compensation must be paid to the families of 27 individuals who tragically lost their lives in the 2020 collapse of a residential building in Rizvia Society. The Additional District and Sessions Judge of Central Karachi, who presided over the case, ordered the building owners to pay diyat (financial compensation under Islamic law) to the affected families. Each victim’s family is to receive Rs 813,595 as compensation for the devastating losses they suffered.
The court also issued a stern warning: failure to pay the compensation would result in imprisonment for the defendants. This decision brings a degree of closure to the families, but it also highlights the ongoing issues of unsafe construction practices in Karachi. The collapse occurred in March 2020 when the five-storey Dr Jamal Fatima residential building came crashing down in Gulbahar No. 2, Rizvia Society. The collapse claimed the lives of 27 people, including eight women and three children, and left many others injured. The incident also caused significant damage to surrounding buildings. The collapse was attributed to illegal construction.
At the time of the incident, authorities confirmed that the building had been erected without following proper safety standards. Karachi’s city administration had previously directed the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) to vacate 382 residential buildings that had been declared dangerous. Yet, this order went largely unheeded. Most of these “dangerous” buildings are concentrated in the Saddar area, where 295 such structures have been identified. Lyari follows with 44 buildings. Of the 382 buildings flagged, 339 are located in the South district, 14 in the East district, and 10 in the Central district.
SBCA official Askhar Dawar expressed frustration over the lack of compliance with evacuation notices, warning that such tragedies may be repeated if owners fail to act on safety orders. In response to the Rizvia Society collapse, SBCA Director General Nasim-ul-Ghani Sahito formed a three-member committee to investigate the causes behind the disaster. Led by SBCA structure director Benish Shabbir, the committee also included SCBA (Baldia Town) Director Nadeem Ahmed and NED University’s Architecture and Planning Department head Noman Ahmed.
