Persistent negligence: So what if a bunch of official records burn?

Despite losing important documents, authorities seem to be content without a fire safety mechanism at Secretariat

KARACHI: Sindh authorities, it appears, are perfectly fine with losing important files to fire and placing government staff at risk. Despite repeated fire incidents, the Sindh Secretariat building continues to function without a proper fire safety system, The Express Tribune has learned.

A Reuters representational image.

The latest fire incident in the Secretariat building took place as recently as last month. The blaze, which broke out in the office of Services and General Administration Department situated on the second floor, consumed several important official documents, sources said.

However, far from seeing the incident as a wakeup call, authorities appear to be least interested in ensuring the safety of both government workers and important records. Sources revealed that the relevant wings did not even respond to the General Administration Department’s correspondence on the incident. General Administration officials said they sent letters to the secretaries of the works and services, local government, and home departments but have received no reply as yet.

Fire erupts in Sindh Secretariat Building

“We also sent a letter to the Civil Defence Department but it too fell on deaf ears,” said General Administration Secretary Khalid Hyder Shah. “We have been waiting for a while but none of the departments responded to our letters,” he told The Express Tribune.

He admitted that there is no adequate fire-fighting system in the offices of the provincial government. “It is a very serious issue and since there have been fire-related incidents in the building before too, we will take up the issue with the relevant departments once again,” he said. “In case of further delay, we can request the Sindh chief minister to call a joint meeting to address the issue.”

When contacted, the secretaries of the local government and work and services department did not respond to phone calls and text messages. Home Secretary Abdul Kabir Kazi, however, said that his department will comply with the recommendations of the General Administration Department.

The General Administration Department also circulated a set of recommendations in September among all the departments and sought their comments. The recommendations were about precautionary measures and the provision of an adequate fire-fighting system in government offices situated in all the secretariat buildings.

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Akin to the last fire incident that took place in the General Administration Department, the main reason behind most fire incidents is believed to be electrical short circuits. Owing to that, the General Administration Department had advised to carry out a physical survey of the sanctioned load as well as the connected load in all buildings of the Sindh Secretariat in consultation with K-Electric.

According to sources, the secretariat buildings had been bearing excessive power load on the main electricity line because of the constantly-functioning air conditioners. Details revealed that each office has multiple air conditioners, whereas the electric-wiring system of the secretariat buildings is not safe and secure, which causes short circuits and power failures.

A Reuters representational image.

The General Administration Department has also questioned the role of the Civil Defense Department that is responsible for ensuring safety measures at public and private buildings.

“It is alarming that no inspection was carried out by the Civil Defense Department”, the General Administration Department stated in its letter. “The Civil Defense Department should not only prepare the fire incident report but also ensure all buildings are secured as per the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs),” it added.

The letter also recommended that the Sindh government should provide a fire brigade at the Sindh Secretariat building to tackle untoward incidents in a timely fashion. The letter said that the move will also be beneficial for other buildings located in the red zone and surrounding areas.



Sources also stated that the buildings of the Sindh Secretariat lack an alarm system in case of an emergency, which not only puts official records but also the lives of employees at stake. To that end, the General Administration Department has also recommended the installation of an alarm system at the secretariat buildings on an urgent basis.

The department has also recommended the Home Department to provide a wireless Walkie-Talkie System for security staff of the secretariat buildings so that they can properly coordinate with each other in case of an emergency. The General Administration Department has also advised the establishment of an Emergency Response Unit within the vicinity of the Sindh Secretariat.

It is pertinent to mention that while most fire incidents took place because of electrical short circuits, the causes of many others have remained suspicious.

According to sources, many employees at the secretariat believe that the documents were deliberately set ablaze to destroy evidence of corruption. The February 2018 incident of fire at New Sindh Secretariat’s third floor had also raised suspicions. It is relevant to mention that the offices of the Works and Services Department are situated on that floor.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 10^th, 2019.