Fire in shanty town

Whenever a devastating fire destroys a shanty town, people tend to attribute it to natural causes or they think that the fire might have been caused with an evil intent to get the land vacated. It is generally believed that some such fires are caused deliberately by vested interests. On the night of Jan 21, around 150 huts were destroyed when a fire engulfed a shanty town in Teen Hatti locality of Karachi, rendering 450 to 500 people homeless. The slum settlement is spread over two acres.

Victims say they are affectees of the Lyari Expressway, and since they have not been provided with alternative accommodations, they were living in the shanty town. Most of the belongings of the fire victims were destroyed. The fire occurred around 10 at night and soon it engulfed the entire locality. During the fire or even after it was put out, only few items could be salvaged from the burned- out huts. According to media reports, some of the affectees have been shifted to a nearby school, but some are still living under the open sky in this cold weather. They say living under the open sky in winter is particularly harsh at night. Most of the fire victims work as domestic help or sell flowers and other small articles to keep their body and soul together.

The Sindh government and non-governmental organisations are providing the fire victims with food, blankets, warm clothes and medicines. Besides Edhi and Chhipa, other volunteer organisations are also providing relief to the fire victims. The Karachi Commissioner, Iftikhar Shallwani, has formed a committee to inquire into the causes of the fire and suggest measures to avoid such incidents in the future. The committee is to submit its report in two weeks.

The poor are the most vulnerable to incidents like fire because of their living conditions. Society bears an obligation to provide succour to the unfortunate among them.