places, sources said. The Rawalpindi Cantonment Board has already declared around 121 dilapidated buildings located in Saddar, Gawalmandi, Qasai Chowk, Lalkurti, People’s Colony and some other areas.
A survey conducted by ‘The News’ revealed that majority of old dilapidated buildings are located in Arya Mohallah, Bhabra Bazaar, Mareer Hassan, Sarafa Bazaar, Ganjmandi, Waris Khan, Liaquat Road, Bara Bazaar, Namak Mandi, Ratta Amral, Pirwadhai and along Benazir Bhutto Road.
Talking to ‘The News’ residents of different areas said that old dilapidated buildings in Rawalpindi pose a grave threat to the lives of people living in and around them, but the concerned authority is taking the matter lightly even in Monsoon season as well. Some sections of these dilapidated buildings have already collapsed. Many of these buildings are locked for years, they said.
People living around these buildings also said that the concerned authority is perhaps waiting for a disaster to spring into action. “We have submitted several applications to the concerned authority to demolish the old dilapidated buildings or start renovation work on them but we failed to get a positive response,” Nisar Ahmed Malik, a resident of Bhabra Bazaar said.
Basharat Hussain, a resident of Namak Mandi said that he is living adjacent to an old dilapidated building, which is locked for a long time. The upper portion of the building has already collapsed in heavy rainfall received some days back in start of Monsoon season. “The other portion might collapse anytime in next heavy rainfall but the concerned authority is not taking any action”, he said.
Mumtaz Haider, Nasir Mehmood, Shakil Ahmed and several other shopkeepers of Ganjmandi said that old dilapidated buildings pose a grave risk. These buildings could collapse anytime particularly in monsoon season, therefore, the concerned authority should act immediately, they said. They also said that some of poor buildings are locked for a long time but concerned authority not taking action against it.
Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) Director Dr Muhammad Hanif said that most parts of the country including twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad would receive heavy rainfall on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. “We have already informed local management to adopt precautionary measures during heavy rainfall,” he said.
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