Staff Reporter
The Sindh government has formed a taskforce to review fire safety management at factories in Karachi.
The taskforce would begin its work from Monday and cover all factories, said Murataz Wahab, Administrator Karachi, as he chaired a meeting on fire safety management.
He said under the resolution No. 43 passed by the KMC, action will be taken on the non-availability of fire safety equipment.
In the first phase, the taskforce will probe industrial units. The taskforce headed by the commissioner Karachi and assisted by concerned deputy commissioners would inspect emergency exits and other safety measures. Once it concluded the the inquiry, it would submit a comprehensive report.
Action will be taken after thirty days of the report submission, Wahab said. Last month, 17 labourers were killed in the blaze at a chemical factory. An FIR has been registered against the factory owner.
Deputy Commissioner Korangi has sent an initial report of the incident to the Commissioner of Karachi.
The fire broke out at 10:08 am. There were no emergency exits doors and it took nine hours to extinguish the fire. Due to lack of arrangements, the workers died by suffocation, according to the initial report.
Chief Fire Officer Mubeen Ahmed said that the blaze erupted on the first floor. “We used snorkels and cranes to reach the second floor.”
Ahmed added that the door to the roof of the factory was locked. “If the door had been open, it would have been easier to rescue the labourers,” he said.
On the other hand, three officers of the Sindh Building and Control Authority have been suspended as well for not taking action against the illegal factory built on a residential plot.
An inquiry committee has been formed to probe into the approval of the building plan.
