20000104

Abad chief worried

over drop in

KBCA revenue

RECORDER REPORT

KARACHI: The revenue earnings of the Karachi Building Control Authority (KBCA) have gone down form Rs 275 million in 1997-98 and Rs 220 million in 1998-99, and to Rs 20 million in the first quarter of the current fiscal.

Builders and developers have demanded of the KBCA to draw a consistent and long term plan to revive housing sector as well as to evolve an effective system to improve the financial position of the KBCA before it collapses completely.

In a letter to the chairman, overseas committee of the KBCA, the chairman of Abad, M M I Hussain, said on Monday that the revenue collection of the KBCA had gone down to an alarming stage and needed immediate corrective measures.

He said that details available showed that the revenue receipts of the KBCA which were Rs 275 million in 1997-98 and Rs 220 million in 1998-99, had gone down to Rs 20 million in the first quarter of the current financial year.

He said that the entire working of the KBCA rests on recoveries of various kinds of fees, additional floor charges, commercialisation charges, regularisation charges, penalties and professional licence fees etc, which got suspended as there was no head of the organisation.

Hussain has expressed concern over the delay in the appointment of chief controller of the KBCA Ñ a post lying vacant since October, 1999.

He said that there were a number of issues unsolved and unattended as neither the Secretary Housing and Town Planning, nor the Chief Secretary of Sindh had time to attend to these issues including updating of building by-laws and regularisation of illegal buildings.