CM Sindh orders audit of safety measures in all hotels, factories

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has ordered all hotels, factories and such other establishments to comply with precautionary safety measures, otherwise strict action would be taken accordingly.

This he said while presiding over an emergent meeting to review the incident of fire in a local hotel which claimed 11 lives and injured over 60 people.

The chief minister was informed that the fire broke out in the kitchen of the hotel at about 2.45am. The team of fire brigade reached there well in time and extinguished the fire. The smoke developed so thick and high that it penetrated into each and every room through ducks of the central air-condition system. As a result, some people succumbed to the suffocation and some jumped from their rooms and could not survive.

The chief minister was informed the last inspection of the fire extinguishers in the hotel was done at the end of 2015. On this, the chief minister asked why it was not done when after every three months it becomes mandatory. On this, they disclosed that the hotel management does not cooperate with them. The chief minister expressing his serious displeasure ordered home secretary to conduct a thorough inquiry why the civil defense department failed to inspect placement of working fire extinguishers.

He ordered chief secretary Rizwan Memon to constitute a committee comprising assistant commissioners, mukhtiarkars and fire officers of KMC, electrical inspector and such other relevant officers and start inspection of each and every hotel, factory and such other buildings whether they have taken precautionary measures for emergency or not. If the report is in negative necessary installations of emergency gates, fire extinguishers be made on war footings.

The chief minister directed Local Government Minister Jam Khan Shoro to expedite the purchase of snorkels and also purchase the shooters used to slide down the stuck up people on the upper floors of a building where such incidents take place.

Jam Shoro recommended to conduct inspection of each and every hotel and factory through a third party so that ISO certification of safety measures could be ensured.  The chief minister approved the proposal and directed the chief secretary to make necessary amendments in the law, if necessary. It was also proposed that the hotels and factories must be bound down to get their inspection of safety measures on their own expenditures as is done by CNG stations.

Syed Murad Ali Shah expressing his displeasure on the performance of civil defence directed the chief secretary to authorize all the assistant commissioners to head the Civil defence committees in their areas and give them ownership. “There should be latest trainings of the civil defence employees,” he urged.

The chief minister directed commissioner Karachi to help in transporting dead bodies to their native areas.

Earlier, the chief minister visited Aga Khan Hospital to enquire health from the injured people of the fire incident.

The meeting was attended by Minister Local Government Jam Khan Shoro, Chief Secretary Rizwan Memon, IG Sindh AD Khwaja, Home Secretary Shakeel Mangnijo, Commissioner Karachi Aijaz Khan, Secretary Health Dr Usman Chachar, Chief fire officer Masood Alam.