Illegal construction: Budget basement installation brings down building in Rawalpindi

The three-storey building was lifted on jacks to add a basement, but the jacks gave in; no injuries.

RAWALPINDI: The new day began noisily in Rawalpindi’s commercial hub, Raja Bazaar, as a three-storey building came crashing down at around 6:30am. Fortunately, no one was injured in the incident, as Madina Market is closed on Friday mornings.

Illegal construction to add a basement to the building started three days back, with the building being raised on jacks to allow work under the structure. However, the jacks collapsed under the burden, police officials said.

"I was leaving for school when suddenly, I heard a booming noise. At the time, I thought it was a blast,” said Bilal Khan, an eyewitness.

Last June, the Punjab government had directed the city administration to implement building bylaws in response to the boom in illegal building construction.

Official sources told The Express Tribune that more than 70 areas in the city where illegal construction continues, including construction work on houses and commercial building that violate Rawal Town Municipal Administration (RTMA) bylaws.

"I am surprised by the amount of illegal construction in every corner of the city. There are no checks and balances on them,” said local trader Sheikh Abdullah.

Ganjmandi Police Station House Officer (SHO) Khan Shabbir told The Express Tribune that a First Information Report (FIR) has been registered against the building’s owner, Sheikh Ijaz.

He said it was fortunate that nobody was inside the building when it collapsed, but was disappointed that "this work continued for two days without permission from the authorities”. He assured that a thorough investigation would be conducted.

Rawalpindi Rescue 1122 Spokesperson Muhammad Saif said that their team reached the spot soon after the incident, but no dead or injured person has been found at the site.

When approached for comment, RTMA Administrator Saif Anwar said “building collapses routinely occur in the city, and the building which collapsed was privately-owned”.

When asked about the extent of illegal construction in the city and the fact that this building was raised using jacks, a violation of administration bylaws, he replied that no such thing was in his notice, and refused to comment further on the issue.