KARACHI: Participants of a public hearing organised by the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) on Tuesday to discuss the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report of a 32-storey building on a heritage site opposed the project, arguing that it was a violation of the law as its construction would badly damage the old structure officially listed as a heritage site.

It would also set a `bad precedent` and provide an excuse for `ruining` other heritage sites in the name of restoration, besides contributing to traffic congestion and air pollution in an area already under extreme stress due to increasing commercial activities and vehicular emissions.

The high-rise project proposed by Silk Bank Limited (SBL) as its head office would sit over the old Lloyds Bank building, a property which has been in possession and commercial use ofthe SBLforseveralyears.

Built with pink Jodhpur stones, the old Lloyds Bank is part of the 20th-century architecture in Karachi. Historically, the area was part of the railway (1858) and Serai Quarters (1873).

A museum is also part of the proposed project whose EIA was carried out by the Environmental Management Consultants Pakistan (EMC) Pvt Ltd while the architecturefirm involved in the venture is Arcop.

The programme began with presentations on the project according to which the construction of the building at the Merewether Tower intersection of I.I Chundrigar Rd and M.A Jinnah Rd would add another high-rise to the emerging skyline of Karachi and provide extra space for financial activities but would not have any impact on the character of land use.

The old bank building, it was said, had a beautiful structure and if skilfully renovated, it would add to the grandeur of the cultural heritage.

`The project has been approved by the heritage committee and we have incorporated its recommendations in the design,` said Yawar Jilani, representing Arcop, adding that the project wasn`t approved overnight and the committee took two years to review its design.

`Heritage structure will not be demolished` According to Saquib Ejaz Hussain, representing the EMC, the heritage structure would neither be altered nor demolished. The nature of the building was limited to activities of a head office as such it was likely to continue its present use. The parking space provided in the project, he said, was more than what was asked for under the Sindh Building ControlAuthority rules.

While he showed concern over the increasing levels of air pollution in the city and said that the levels of air pollutants were much beyond the safe limits on every commercial road, he justified the project, claiming that the environmental impacts of the project were manageable and could be mitigated by implementing the environmental management and monitoring plan.

The project, he said, had provisions for a waste treatment plant and recycling.

Highlighting their concerns, the participants, including architects, engineers, students and members of civil society organisations, rejected arguments in favour of the project and said it was absolutely wrong to declare that the project was eco-friendly and would not cause any alterations to the heritage site.

`There will be major intervention (in the heritage site) as you will build 30 columns inside the old structure to provide foundation for the new building,` said Hameed Soomro, a senior architect and former member of the heritage committee, expressing concern over how the heritage site would appear after being juxtaposed with an imposing modern structure.

Pointing towards the cumulative impact the project would have in a busy commercial area, Dr Raza Gardezi said it would encourage other organisationsto build more skyscrapers on the road already lined by a number of high-rises, contributing to traffic congestion and air pollution.

Also in attendance was Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, the two-time Oscar winner. She asked the panel, comprising Sepa officials and representatives of the SBL and project consultants, how many iconic buildings were left in the city and whether other heritage sites would have a similar fate.

Members of the audience also criticised the fact that the EIA report was not available on the Sepa website before the hearing and the findings of the EIA report shared with the audience did not include slides of the original documents of the basic approvals the project proponent was required to obtain from relevant government departments.

`We haven`t been shown the government notification carrying approval from the heritage committee. In the absence of such a notification, the EIA report is incomplete and you (Sepa) can`t bring an incomplete EIA report to the public hearing,` said Zubair Abro, a lawyer specialising in environmental law.

Waqar Husain Phulpoto, representing Sepa at the hearing, assured the audience that the department would not approve the project unless all basic approvals were acquired and that it would be discussed further by the expert committee.