It was in 1969 or early 1970 that a contractor took me to see what is called a "peer" (pronounced like "peel"). I was not well and he told me that just looking at the "peer" would turn me into a new man. The man lived in a dilapidated building somewhere in Saddar, and at first I hesitated, but the contractor told me not to worry, the building would remain standing as long as the holy man lived there, which was in a poorly constructed shed on the roof. Needless to say, looking at the saint did not have any effect on me, but I'm mentioning this episode to point out that even in those days, violations of the building code were breezily taking place, even though not as frequently as today.
The day before yesterday a building fell in the old city area of Lyari, killing many people (27 bodies have so far been taken out of the rubble, twenty of them belonging to a Hindu family). The authorities had given permission for only two floors, but the builder had constructed another floor, so when it was decided to demolish the third floor, the builder went ahead and made two other floors and a penthouse, further endangering the building.
Another building (one with eight floors) nearby has developed cracks and is in danger of collapsing, but its residents have refused to leave, even though electricity, gas and water have been disconnected. It is reported that there are about a thousand such structures in the city that need to be demolished. More tragedies are sure to follow.
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