Islamabad: An inspection of buildings conducted by the Sindh government committee has revealed that 91.3 per cent of the buildings in province lacked fire safety arrangements, Pakistani media reported on Friday.
The government has decided to seal high-risk buildings which were found by the committee in violation of fire safety laws in Sindh. The committee was set up after the fire incident in Karachi’s Gul Plaza which claimed lives of nearly 80 people, injured hundreds and caused financial loss for thousands of people, Pakistan’s leading daily ‘The Express Tribune’ reported.
During a high-level meeting on fire safety on Thursday, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah stated that inspections were conducted in 3,633 buildings in Sindh. He said that 889 buildings had been declared high risk due to serious violations, while owners and managements of medium- and low-risk buildings have been ordered to take measures to address safety shortcomings.
Earlier this month, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) revealed that majority of the buildings in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, have not obtained fire safety certifications.
The CDA conducted a survey of buildings regarding fire safety and hazard control in Islamabad following the fire incident in Gul Plaza. A survey of 6,500 buildings was conducted in Islamabad, another leading Pakistani daily ‘Dawn’ reported.
In the survey, the CDA found that majority of the buildings had not obtained approval for their fire safety plans and the completion/fire safety certifications for these buildings were not been issued. During the survey, an inspection of 300 government buildings was conducted, according to the statement issued by CDA, Dawn reported. The information was shared during a meeting chaired by CDA chairman Ali Randhawa at CDA headquarters.
The official statement said, “Federal Minister for Interior Mohsin Naqvi had taken notice and directed the CDA to conduct a survey of all buildings in Islamabad regarding Fire Safety and Hazard Control at the earliest. In light of the direction all relevant departments, including the Capital Emergency Services and the Building and Housing Control Wing were directed to complete the survey immediately.”
During the meeting, it was decided that building owners and occupants would be ordered to submit their Fire Safety and Hazard Control Certificates to the relevant offices of CDA’s Building and Housing Control Wing within 15 days, otherwise, a legal action will be initiated against those who did not follow the order under the CDA Ordinance and the Islamabad Capital Territory Building Control Regulations 2020 (Amended 2023).
(IANS)
