Demolition of dilapidated buildings ordered
Commissioner Rawalpindi Division Noorul Amin Mengal has issued orders to demolish old, dilapidated buildings on an urgent basis.
He assured that residents currently living in the said buildings will be provided alternative accommodation, insisting that given the precarious condition of the structures, it is imperative that they be struck down before the prevalent rains inflict irreparable loss of lives.
A spokesperson at the commissioner’s office said that after taking notice of the crumbling buildings, Mengal instructed the Civil Defence Department Director to conduct an operation at the earliest.
In the first phase, notices will be issued to owners of these properties well in time, after which steps will be taken to raze the structures.
The commissioner has directed the authorities concerned to facilitate the residents of the buildings by arranging substitute lodgings besides providing funds for rent. Chief Officer Amjad Islam has been tasked with providing the Civil Defence Department heavy machinery for the demolition.
The spokesperson said that keeping in view the hazards posed by these buildings, the residents are requested to cooperate with the administration to help safeguard their lives and possessions.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 14th, 2022.