NAB seeks report on alleged illegal marriage halls in Karachi

KARACHI: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has opened an inquiry into alleged irregularities linked to the approval and construction of marriage halls and marquees in Karachi, and has asked the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) to submit a detailed report on the matter.

According to a NAB letter sent to the SBCA chief, the inquiry was initiated after a complaint raised two main allegations: the illegal issuance of no-objection certificates for marriage halls and marquees, and the construction of such facilities on amenity plots. The anti-graft body asked the authority to provide details of the violations, the financial loss caused to the national exchequer and the reasons for what it described as the SBCA’s inaction regarding the construction and operation of marriage halls in the city.

The letter also stated that the bureau had previously sought information from the SBCA but had not received a response. NAB’s move comes amid wider concerns voiced in Karachi over unchecked commercialisation in residential areas, with residents, activists and legal experts warning that such activity could intensify traffic congestion, pollution, infrastructure stress and environmental degradation in a city already facing multiple civic problems.

SBCA says survey under way

Responding to a question about the authority’s reply to NAB, an SBCA spokesperson said the building authority had already begun a survey and was gathering information to prepare its final report for the bureau. He said teams were collecting data from all districts of Karachi to identify illegally built marriage halls and marquees across the city, and that the findings would also be shared with relevant institutions once the report was completed.

The issue also surfaced recently at a press conference titled Citizens Speak for a Liveable Karachi, organised by the Karachi Citizens Foundation at the Karachi Press Club. Speakers there said the city’s sewerage system was already under severe pressure and argued that permitting further commercialisation in residential neighbourhoods would aggravate existing problems.

Association backs probe, raises safety concerns

Representatives of the marriage hall sector, however, questioned the ongoing SBCA survey, saying the locations and status of illegal venues were already widely known. They alleged that while unlawful structures had proliferated, operators engaged in lawful business were being burdened with documentation and repeated visits to government offices in the name of the NAB inquiry.

Rana Raees Ahmed, president of the All Karachi Marriage Hall, Lawn and Banquet Owners Association, said the spread of unauthorised ballrooms posed serious safety risks.

"There are around 200 such ballrooms which are built on ground or mezzanine floors of multi-storey flats," he said. "With no safe structures, no fire exits and no safety measures in place, these venues are nothing short of death traps where even a minor incident can lead to massive financial losses and loss of lives. Under whose watchful eye are these being built? On the other hand, our legitimate members and those running lawful businesses are required to submit documents, complete formalities and make repeated rounds of government offices, all in the name of a NAB inquiry."

Ahmed said the association had around 800 members running what it described as legitimate and lawful marriage hall and banquet businesses, and added that it welcomed the NAB inquiry, calling it the need of the hour.