Estate Office fire: Ministry to seek FIA’s help in finding arsonists

Gang involved in fake allotments may have attacked record room: interim report.


Riazul Haq April 24, 2014
Gang involved in fake allotments may have attacked record room: interim report. PHOTO: FILE

ISLAMABAD:


The ministry of state for housing and works has decided to seek the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA’s) help for fixing responsibility in a case related to a fire incident that had burnt records of the Estate Office to ashes.


The decision has been take after a five-member fact finding team headed by Deputy Chief of Housing Ministry Tariq Faheem Sheikh submitted a report to the ministry concluding that the fire in the Estate Office at Shaheed-e-Millat Secretariat was a ‘deliberate act’.

The inquiry, which was completed on April 11, revealed that the fire was a ‘deliberate attempt’ to destroy illegal allotment records and files.

The probe body has, however, no finger of suspicion, it has submitted an interim report which doubted that a gang involved in corruption and fake allotments in Islamabad may have attacked the record room.

“The corrupt persons have failed in their plans and all actions of the Estate Office regarding management or allotments of houses as per rules continued,” said the report.

The fire broke out in the Estate Office’s record room on the 9th floor on March 2, where, according to the probe body, all the record was burnt to ashes.

In 2007, the Estate Office building was also damaged by a fire incident which caused an estimated loss of Rs19.7 million.

This time, the committee has estimated, a loss of about Rs4.5 million has been incurred after furniture, fans and other equipment were burnt to ashes by the fire.

Last week, Sheikh also briefed members of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Housing and Works about the findings of the report.

Minister for Housing and Works Barrister Usman Ibrahim had also conveyed to the staff that the Estate Office had the ‘back-up’ of all allotment records and the burnt records would be reproduced by reconciling them with the records present in the ministry.

Initially, it was perceived that the fire was erupted due to a short circuit but the probe body found out no such cause.

An FIR has also already been registered at the Kohsar Police Station.

Meanwhile, the minister on Tuesday directed the ministry officials to prepare documents to hand them over to the FIA to further probe the matter and fix the responsibility.

The minister to the NA body that some corrupt elements wanted to sabotage the smooth practice of allotments under the general waiting list (GWL).

Kohsar Police Station Sub-Inspector Shahid Zaman said investigation was under way and they have so far interviewed about 40 people.

“We are inquiring from the staff, who were working on other floors when the incident happened but almost everybody is expressing ignorance about the fire,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 24th, 2014.

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