Lost legacies: Karachi’s heritage sites face obliteration

The sites of heritage in any metropolis become landmarks for locals and tourists alike, who build a sense of familiarity with the city through the historical buildings however, as a wave of commercialization hits the country’s financial hub, the unsupervised proliferation of new high rise complexes and simultaneous neglect of old buildings, has created a host of problems both for the inhabitants and frequenters of Old Karachi.

Despite various laws mandating the protection and preservation of heritage sites across the port city, a lack of funds and shortage of staff has caused hundreds of historical buildings and shops across areas in the city like Soldier Bazar, Kharadar, Jamshed Road, MA Jinnah Road, Saddar, Clifton and Parsi Colony among other areas, to suffer disrepair, creating countless problems for the residents and businessmen, who have to live with water shortages and sewage leakages.

Muhammad Aslam, who owns a shop in one such historical site, revealed that his building has been in a dilapidated condition since the past 10 years. “During this time, the officials and staff from the Sindh government have visited our building several times, but no construction or repair work was initiated,” complained Aslam, whose shop is just one of the 30 shops located in the historic Hussain Hoti Market in the Ghazdarabad area.

In addressing Aslam’s concerns, Yasmin Lari, a renowned architect, highlighted the fact that the negligence of the Sindh Heritage Department and the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA), the two institutions responsible for protecting heritage sites, had led to the deterioration of the historical buildings, which are either completely demolished or modified into newer constructions.

“Such neglect of historical sites has ruined the historical and cultural beauty of the city. If historical buildings are to be preserved, than the committees must include more young people in their teams, alongside improving the implementation of laws, which mandate the protection of heritage sites,” asserted Lari, who further informed that the Sindh Cultural Heritage Act has clearly mentioned that all buildings which have been declared heritage sites must be protected and maintained.

According to an on-ground survey carried out by the Express Tribune, countless buildings spread across Old Karachi have been declared heritage sites, including 147 buildings at Ranchore Lines, 131 in Market Quarter, 118 in Saddar Bazar Quarter, 116 in Napier Quarter, 113 in Rambagh Quarter, 110 in Jail Quarter, 99 in Cantonment Quarters, 51 in Garden Quarter, 50 in Civil Lines, 48 in Machi Miyani Quarter, 46 in Artillery Maidan, 44 in Preedi Quarter, 34 in Bundar Quarter and 25 in Railway Quarter yet the majority of these buildings are in a dilapidated condition due to neglect.

Furthermore, a large number of these dilapidated buildings, which earlier had a capacity of only 15 to 20 people, have been replaced by newer buildings, which accommodate 400 to 500 people, as a result of which issues involving the supply of water and gas, management of solid waste, drainage of sewage, parking, and a plethora of other problems have sprung up in the Old Area.

“There are a total of 1744 declared historical buildings in Karachi. Since our funds are limited we cannot repair every building. 70 per cent of these buildings are privately owned by individuals who allow the building to fall into disrepair and eventually collude with the builders to demolish it and construct new buildings. When we receive information on such violations, we immediately file FIRs so that judicial action is taken,” informed Pirah Mangi, Deputy Director of the Sindh Heritage Department.

“Completely demolishing and reconstructing any historical building is not allowed. If the building is very dilapidated, permission is given under strict conditions to demolish the interior only, but the front portion must remain intact and recognizable. Only the interior of the building can be reconstructed that too in such a way that the identity of the surrounding historical buildings is not affected,” added Mangi, who claimed that supervising all this was the responsibility of the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA).

“The SBCA must get in touch with us before giving its approval for any demolishment however, they rarely consult us and the lawbreakers take advantage of this major loophole,” alleged Mangi.

In response to Mangi’s claims, SBCA’s Additional Director General Benish Shabbir, while speaking to the Express Tribune, maintained that the SBCA was fully in touch with the Sindh Heritage Department, on matters concerning the demolishment of old buildings.

“A well-known historical building is under construction in Clifton. The front portion will be kept historic, but renovations are being done to improve its dilapidated condition,” claimed Shabbir.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 20^th, 2024.