KARACHI: Not a single commercial building that the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) conducted a fire safety audit of had a fire safety certificate or a no-objection certificate (NOC) provided by the fire brigade department. This information was disclosed to the Sindh High Court on Wednesday.
According to the report, which was submitted on Metropolitan Commissioner Afzal Zaidi’s behalf, significant errors were found throughout the audit.
In light of this, it is asked that the report be carefully read through and that directives be sent to all relevant parties, including the Sindh Building Control Authority and the residents of the surveyed buildings, to take the appropriate steps to enhance fire safety and fire control in the event of an emergency.
The report further stated that inadequate precautions taken by the owners or inhabitants of the structures in question were the main cause of the recent fire occurrences that were reported from various sections of the city and resulting in loss of life and property.
Serious flaws were found in the security audit of business structures on three main thoroughfares, according to an official.
It also said that the KMC had started a fire safety audit exercise to evaluate fire safety protocols in different buildings. The audit survey of about 265 buildings on Sharea Faisal, I.I. Chundrigar Road, and Shahrah-i-Quaideen/Tariq Road was carried out in the first phase of the exercise.
The report also stated that around 75 structures on Shahrea Faisal, 45 on I.I. Chundrigar Road, and 145 on Shahrah-i-Quaideen/Tariq Road were inspected.
The KMC fire brigade department informed the court that none of the structures had a fire safety certificate or NOC, and the majority of these buildings lacked emergency exits and fire safety systems.
The report also stated that of the 265 structures, about 155 did not have smoke and fire detectors installed, and the status of nine of these buildings was unknown.
Similarly, the KMC deemed the wiring along with electric system conditions of over 155 structures to be inadequate.
Regarding firefighting equipment availability, it was reported that approximately 200 buildings lacked or had inadequate firefighting apparatus.
The SHC had instructed provincial authorities to guarantee that appropriate teams examine every mall in the city to confirm that the safety standards
The bench voiced dissatisfaction over several fire-related occurrences that happened recently at the provincial metropolis’s shopping and commercial centers and buildings.
Such orders had been issued by the SHC in a case involving a fire at a mall on Rashid Minhas Road. A suspected short circuit caused a fire to break out inside the R.J. Shopping Mall early on November 25, leaving at least 11 people dead and five injured.
SOURCE: DAWN NEWS
