Unfit buildings

The tragedy of the building collapse at Golimaar in Karachi, in which 16 people died, demands immediate remedial measures so that future catastrophes can be averted. Since Pakistan is under the grip of frequent rains, all redundant and dangerous buildings must be evacuated before they too end up in collapse. This remedial exercise must be put into gear right from mega cities to villages all over Pakistan. This task can be assigned to the federal and provincial housing ministries to monitor and declare dangerous buildings 'unfit' for living. This massive exercise can further be assigned to municipal committees in cities and union councils for villages.

The recent boiler incidents and chemical gas leakages are also examples of compromised safety. Safety is one of the elements of 'quality assurance'.

Lt-Comm (r) Riaz Akbar

Wah Cantt