Ghani suspends five SBCA, 17 KDA absent officers

Five officers of the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) and 17 officers of the Karachi Development Authority were suspended on Monday by Sindh Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani for being absent from their duties.

He took the action during a surprise visit to the Civic Centre where he found the officers absent from the work. He also ordered deduction of one day salary to the officers of grade 16 and lower staff who did not show up at work.

Ghani warned that from now onwards action will be taken against the heads of departments if any employee was found absent without any justification. Later, the local government minister paid a visit to Techno City Building on I I Chundrigar Road where a fire had erupted on early Monday morning in the basement and soon engulfed the entire building. The blaze was doused after five hours by fire tenders of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and Pakistan Navy.

Ghani directed the deputy commissioner South to carry out a detailed survey of the building and submit a report on the fire. He also directed the relevant departments to focus on rescuing people trapped in the fire in case any such incident occurs. The minister also expressed satisfaction over the fact that no casualty was reported in the blaze.

It is the responsibility of the civil defence department to ensure that all the buildings and warehouses are equipped with fire extinguishers, Ghani said. Responding to a query, he said matters related to public safety should not be used for it political point-scoring.