RAWALPINDI: Violation of building codes and regulations across various densely-populated areas of the garrison city have raised questions about Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation’s (RMC) efficiency.

According to sources, scores of commercial and residential buildings flouted building bylaws during their construction right under the civic authorities’ watch. The lack of proper oversight has led to the mushroom growth of buildings lacking parking areas, fire safety measures and other basic amenities.

Sources said a majority of buildings in Raja Bazaar, Satellite Town, Commercial Market, China Market, Murree Road, Liaquat Road and City Saddar Road were constructed without prior approval from the civic body.

Relevant officials did not pay heed to the repeated complaints by individuals about illegal constructions, they added.

RMC accused of faltering in implementation of mandatory regulations across densely populated areas

Particularly in the Satellite Town, Raja Bazaar and adjoining areas, it was revealed that commercial plazas were constructed without mandatory allocations during planning. The buildings in these areas also lacked fire safety measures.

According to the building bylaws, all commercial plaza owners should allocate the basements of their buildings for parking, leaving a 25-foot space in the front of the building.

As a result, visitors to the main commercial areas especially in Raja Bazaar are facing problems in finding spaces for parking.

About six months ago, the RMC found that 36 buildings in Rawalpindi had turned their basements into shops. However, no action was taken, sources claimed.

A senior official of RMC told Dawn that fire safety measures and parking space were necessary for commercial buildings but there were only a few plazas having such facilities.

He said that there was a plan to conduct a survey in the city areas to inspect building bylaws’ violations. The report would be submitted to Rawalpindi Commissioner Aamir Khattak at the earliest.

He said that time had been given to the building owners to adopt mandatory building regulations.

He said that apart from parking, the building owners had also been asked to adopt fire safety measures.

The official added that the civic body has already launched action against encroachments in Raja Bazaar and adjoining commercial areas to create more space for parking. “A new parking area has been planned but the work would be started after getting a go-ahead from the Punjab government,” he said.

On the other hand, Civil Defence Officer Talib Hussain admitted to the fact that there were hardly a few commercial plazas in the garrison city which adopted fire safety measures as per law.

He said that the civic bodies were supposed to approve the building plans only when the owners made proper safety measures for emergencies.

He said that in Raja Bazaar, Moti Bazaar, Sarafa Bazaar, and Urdu Bazaar, buildings were vulnerable to fire incidents and most of them were issued notices.

Published in Dawn, January 6th, 2025