A SAMAA Digital fact-check has revealed that the building that was destroyed by sewage gas explosion in Shershah was owned by Site Industrial Trading Estate (SITE) Limited, also known as SITE Limited.
The building was constructed by illegally covering the sewer. But it has a valid address.
Kemari District Deputy Commissioner Mukhtar Abro told Sama Digital that it was Shopping Center Number 2 of SITE limited.
The drain that was covered to construct this building is known as Shershah nullah.
Shershah nullah is one of the 38 rainwater drains of the city. It is 2.01km long.
Shershah nullah starts from Shaheen Stop and passes through Urdu Bazaar to fall into Lyari river.
It traverses two administrative jurisdictions in its short journey. Half of the nullah lies in the area controlled by SITE Limited and half by Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC). Both segments have been encroached upon.
Since the drain has been completely covered for the most part, the sewage gas finds no outlet and accumulates under the buildings constructed over it.
It has caused several blasts in recent years, though not as deadly as Saturday’s explosion that left over two dozen people dead at the SITE Limited’s Shopping Center Number 2 near Paracha Chowk.
This area falls under SITE Limited which controls several other buildings.
SITE, a Sindh government institution, is run by a board that has 15 members, including eight nominated by the Sindh government.
The 15-member board is headed by the Secretary Industries. In addition, Secretary Planning and Development, Secretary Excise and Taxation, Sui Southern Gas Company Limited MD, K-Electric CEO and Area Electric Board Hyderabad Chairman are its members.
The operational management of SITE is headed by the Managing Director who is also selected by the Government of Sindh.
SITE owns several properties that have been rented to various tenants.
Deputy Commissioner Abro told Sama Digital that another explosion occurred about a month ago at a short distance from the site of Saturday’s blast. It, too, was caused by sewage gas accumulated under the buildings.
The deputy commissioner said he had written a letter to the shop owners warning them that the buildings over illegally covered sewers were encroachments and that they should evacuate their shops as they would be demolished.
The deputy commissioner said that the shop owners who were issued notices came to his office and informed him that the place belonged to the SITE Limited which collected rent from them.
The shopkeepers also showed him the receipts for the payment of rent. The deputy commissioner last month wrote a letter to SITE to verify the claims but had not received a reply.
Abro said at least 50 shops and several houses were built over the nullah.
SITE Limited Spokesperson Kamran Usman, speaking to Sama Digital, confirmed that the site of Saturday’s blast fell under the management of Site Limited.
However, he said that the encroachments were not set up by SITE and were there for many years.
The spokesperson also confirmed that SITE Limited is making money from the encroachments on the drain. He said that if the encroachments have taken place within the limits of SITE Limited, then the rent will also be collected by SITE Limited.
When asked about the sewage gas explosion a month ago, the spokesman said that a meeting was being held under the chairmanship of the managing director of SITE Limited and all the details would be released at the end of the meeting.
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