Rs220 million to be spent on demolition of Nasla Tower
KARACHI: An amount of Rs220 million will be spent on demolishing the Nasla Tower in Karachi, declared illegal by the Supreme Court, through a controlled implosion.
The Karachi administration has sought directions of the Supreme Court to finalise the demolition of Nasla Tower as one firm sought Rs220 million for razing the high-rise via controlled implosion while the other offered free-of-cost service via mechanical means.
Officialssaidkarachicommissionermuhammed Iqbal Memon has submited a report to the apex court informing the pros and cons of both the methodsproposedbythetwoshortlistedcompanies.
He told the court that no company or authority has experience in demolishing a building in an urban area through controlled implosion.
He said that a commitee of technical experts was constituted for assessing and evaluating the expressions of interest by different companies.
The apex court was informed that the committee recommended a firm, Hi-tech Electronics and Machinery/dgdemolition,whichoffereddemolition by implosion with all safety measures, seeking 60day time for demolition and post-demolition work.
The commissioner’s report said the company had given a cost of Rs220 million for demolition, including rights on debris and atached valuable material.
It said the building designs had been shared with the firm so that it could prepare a demolition plan.
The court was informed in the report that the commitee had also recommended a firm, ANI Enterprises, for demolition of the building through conventional means i.e., with the assistance of machinery and manual labour.
The court was further told that the firm had given 90 days for the demolition and removal of debris from the site free of charge, claiming the debris inclusive of valuable material.
Additionally, the company also offered to pay Rs15 million in the government exchequer.
Besides, the court was informed that the Sindh Building Control Authority had been directed to start pre-demolition work, removal of windows and fulfill other pre-demolition requirements at the earliest and give progress reports on a daily basis.