News
Monday, October 28, 2013
Historical buildings, part of Karachi’s history
By Ahtesham Azhar
KARACHI: There are a number of historical buildings in Karachi, which were constructed during the British colonial period - having been declared as heritage sites by the Sindh government's Culture Department. These heritage buildings can mostly be found in old city areas such as Saddar, Burns Road, Kharadar and Lyari among others.
"Fida Ali", a building near Bohri Bazaar, Saddar is almost two hundred years old, constructed during British rule. "My grandfather purchased it from a Hindu before partition," said a shop owner at the building's ground floor. The ground floor of the building is under commercial use and rest of portions is empty and no one lives here.
Although the building comes under heritage sites, it lies in neglect and the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) has termed it dangerous for living. "There are seven shops on the ground floor, where people are doing business since years," added Ali. "It can fall any time, and we have no one to look after it. If the heritage department allows us, we will demolish it and reconstruct it again."
Another building, "Tayab Ali" constructed in 1937 at Mochi Gali of Saddar, is also among the oldest buildings of the locality. A residential, three storey unit, it has been ignored by the SBCA since long. "The passage, entrance and stairs are very congested and in appearance, its condition looks unsafe; however, the situation is otherwise but situation is otherwise," says Muhammad Mushtaq, resident of the building.
Mushtaq, who came to Pakistan with his father in 1947 said, "We are living here since partition and the building is made of a strong material." He added that even a single staircase was made of iron with 10kg weight, and many times, drug addicts have stolen antique objects from the premises.
He never repaired anything in the house, as everything remains in perfect condition since day one, added Mushtaq.
He further mentioned that the building was constructed from special rocks - the reason of it being so strong. "I remember that once a government team inspected this place and declared it normal."
Zulekha Residential Building, which was constructed almost 80 years ago at Burns Road, has a similar story to tell. Built using high-quality concrete, it remains in living condition till date.
Muhammad Ali, a resident of the building, said he was living there since thirty years, but hardly had any problems. "The sewerage electricity system needed an uplift; but other than that, everything's perfect," he said. Earthquake jolts did minor damage to the balconies, but was repaired immediately."
There are a series of old buildings in Saddar area; many of them having been demolished by the SBCA, but some people sill manage to live there due to poverty. Even a man died after a balcony collapse.
"I am living here from my childhood and have often heard the government is going to demolish all the houses, but still, they remain as they are," said Farooq Ahmed, the building resident. "We live here because these houses have low rents and majority of the landlords are dead."
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk