It has become a routine matter now that the first reaction of those at the helm of affairs is to go into denial.
LAHORE: The toxic gas leak resulting in the death of 14 people in Karachi raises many questions about incompetence of those who have been given the task of managing the KPT. It has become a routine matter now that the first reaction of those at the helm of affairs is to go into denial. If the KPT management had reported the details of the leak many lives could have been saved by adopting Standard Operating Procedures for Dangerous Goods.
It is also time that those at helm must understand that handling various functions, including loading and unloading of sensitive cargo and dangerous goods is a specialised field which requires recruitment of well-trained and qualified officials.
Others cannot be expected to perform such sensitive tasks in cases of emergency, nor can they assess the serious consequences if timely decisions are not taken. The KPT management and its associated state service providers could have saved lives if they had capacity to assess the situation promptly.
Malik Tariq Ali
Published in The Express Tribune, February 20th, 2020.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.
