City suffers with local govt in disarray
Amid delays in LG polls, reshuffles and favouritism, civic issues remain unaddressed
The metropolis is in chaos - or so it would seem to a person visiting Karachi for the first time. Here, the roads are broken, the local administration has been unable to control the prices of food items, there is no proper solid waste management and civic development seems to be in constant limbo.
The situation, however, isn t surprising for the city s residents, aware of the ad hoc manner in which it is being run by what appears to be local government officials in a game of musical chairs, following delays in LG polls.
In this file photo rescue workers go about their business in a garment factory following a fire in which at least 289 people died in Karachi. AFP/File
KARACHI: A local court on Saturday issued notices to the owner of Ali Enterprises, the director-general of the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) and secretaries of the provincial labour, industries and commerce departments on lawsuits claiming around Rs29.328 million in compensation for legal heirs of two workers, who were killed in the Baldia factory fire incident in 2012.
Over 260 workers perished in the deadly blaze that engulfed the multistorey building of a garments factory in Baldia Town on Sept 11, 2012.
The Sindh High Court has directed the director general of the Sindh Building Control Authority to convene a meeting with the civil defence department and chief fire officer to discuss the possibility of amending building regulations in order to address fire safety issues. Dawn/File
KARACHI: The Sindh High Court has directed the director general of the Sindh Building Control Authority to convene a meeting with the civil defence department and chief fire officer to discuss the possibility of amending building regulations in order to address fire safety issues.
The court was informed that task forces had been constituted at divisional, district and sub-divisional level for inspection of buildings and industries/factories and to ensure the implementation of all fire safety measures.
Karachi
December 10, 2020
A three-tier task force, with sub-committees at divisional, district and sub-district levels, has been constituted for the inspection of high-rise buildings, factories and industries to ensure that all fire safety measures are being followed in the establishments.
Hearing a petition concerning the implementation of the safety by-laws under the Building Code of Pakistan, a division bench of the SHC, headed by Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar, asked the provincial law officer what mechanism had been formulated to inspect different buildings and industries/factories to ensure that the establishments are following and observing all fire safety measures.
The court was informed that a task force had convened its meeting and that it had constituted sub-committees at divisional, districts and sub-divisional levels and had formulated mechanism at their levels to ensure the fire safety laws. The law officer said the divisional task force shall ascertain the complaints