The Federal Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) and the Sindh Government are at loggerhead over the possession of a land that houses Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority's (PSQCA) head office.
The Sindh government with a notice to the PSQCA - (the national standard body works under administrative control of MoST) to vacate its office located in barrack-77, Secretariat 4-B to build a "secretariat complex" - has started construction work with demolishing the authority's Legal Department Office portion besides digging a trench about 16 feet deep just outside the authority's office building.
"The trench has forced a shutdown of all official activities of the PSQCA including lab examinations," said a senior PSQCA official who wished not to be named.
The provincial government has been asking PSQCA to vacate the property for the last one year, but, the standard body refused and demanded alternate facility to shift its office along with heavy laboratory machines. Meanwhile MoST said the facility has been allotted to the federal government back in 1952.
Last week, in night hours, the provincial government abruptly started construction work without informing the authority, with digging a deep trench on its vehicle parking facility leaving no passage for even pedestrians, the official said.
"We are trapped now, our million rupee heavy laboratory machines are there inside the office, even vehicles of officers are parked inside," he added. "We need cranes to shift all these valuables," he deplored.
Director General Secretariat, legal department, media department, management, international trainings, printing press etc. are currently housed in the authority's head office. However, the forced closure [of office, and the laboratory works] would engender severe issues for the sole national standard body to run its affairs, besides inflicting huge revenue loss to its exchequer.
Umar Kazi, Secretary PSQCA told Business Recorder, "We have been taking care of the property since 1952, when Karachi was the part of federal capital." He said that the provincial government has deliberately created a problem for PSQCA with digging the deep trench.
To a query he said the authority has approached the provincial government through its Chief Secretary for a peaceful settlement of the issue, however, "We are still waiting for a proper reply. We will not let anyone demolish our office," he warned. It is relevant to mention here that PSQCA as national standard body works under administrative control of Ministry of Science and Technology.