Ulterior motives behind LTC fire incident cover-up
Lahore Transport Company chairperson says he believes the fire was an attempt to bury evidence
Representational image. PHOTO: REUTERS
LAHORE:
A mysterious fire which broke out at the Lahore Transport Company’s head office near Liberty Chowk, on the eve of March 25, has started garnering controversy as sources allege hidden motives behind the suspicious outbreak.
The fire which is reportedly attributed to a short-circuit in the photo-copying machine, spread to the building’s fifth floor before a security guard called Rescue 1122 to come extinguish the flames. As per details, although the fire caused severe damage to furniture and electronics, no human lives were harmed in the wake of the company’s work from home policy.
However, it was recently brought to light that the head office’s management had kept the Punjab Secretary Transport and the Lahore Transport Company (LTC) chairperson in the dark about the mysterious fire incident.
It is significant mentioning that as previously reported, unstable policies, the inefficiency of the management and lack of transporter’s confidence in the organisation had already put LTC in dire straits for the past two years. Per sources, when then-newly appointed Chairperson Dr Shahid Siddique tried to bring about new changes to the company, he was left to face resistance and opposition from the company’s Chief Executive Officer Maryam Khawar and several other higher-ups. As a result, Siddique had been unable to restructure LTC and implement his proposals for the restoration of the city’s transport sector.
'Herculean' efforts save homes as Australia fires rage
According to sources, the recent turn of events has blown air of suspicion over the case leading people to believe that the fire incident’s masking may have served certain hidden agendas. Upon information of the issue, Lahore Transport Company Chairperson Dr Shahid Siddique has sought clarification from Chief Executive Maryam Khawar and expressed his concerns about the dubiety of the matter. “I suspect there is more to this fire than what is being revealed,” Siddique told The Express Tribune. “I have been asking them to furnish certain records and documents on certain company matters for quite some time now. I believe the fire was an attempt to bury incriminating evidence,” he asserted.
When contacted by The Express Tribune, LTC Chief Executive Mariam Kahwar said that the incident was a minor fire that was caused by a short-circuit in the photo-copying machine. Whereas, Siddique dispelled the Chief Executive claim, asserting that the fire was anything but a minor incident. “From what I have learned about the fire, it was not minor at all. I had requested the company management for records of certain projects which have yet not been furnished and this appears to be a ploy to get rid of the documentation,” he reiterated.
On the other hand, Punjab Secretary Transport Asad Gilani upon learning about the fire revealed that he had yet not been notified about the issue, while repairs are quietly being made at the site of the incident for the past three days. “I only came to know of the fire from the reporters who’ve contacted me but now that have some information of this, I will duly investigate the matter,” Gilani concluded.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 1st, 2020.
A mysterious fire which broke out at the Lahore Transport Company’s head office near Liberty Chowk, on the eve of March 25, has started garnering controversy as sources allege hidden motives behind the suspicious outbreak.
The fire which is reportedly attributed to a short-circuit in the photo-copying machine, spread to the building’s fifth floor before a security guard called Rescue 1122 to come extinguish the flames. As per details, although the fire caused severe damage to furniture and electronics, no human lives were harmed in the wake of the company’s work from home policy.
However, it was recently brought to light that the head office’s management had kept the Punjab Secretary Transport and the Lahore Transport Company (LTC) chairperson in the dark about the mysterious fire incident.
It is significant mentioning that as previously reported, unstable policies, the inefficiency of the management and lack of transporter’s confidence in the organisation had already put LTC in dire straits for the past two years. Per sources, when then-newly appointed Chairperson Dr Shahid Siddique tried to bring about new changes to the company, he was left to face resistance and opposition from the company’s Chief Executive Officer Maryam Khawar and several other higher-ups. As a result, Siddique had been unable to restructure LTC and implement his proposals for the restoration of the city’s transport sector.
'Herculean' efforts save homes as Australia fires rage
According to sources, the recent turn of events has blown air of suspicion over the case leading people to believe that the fire incident’s masking may have served certain hidden agendas. Upon information of the issue, Lahore Transport Company Chairperson Dr Shahid Siddique has sought clarification from Chief Executive Maryam Khawar and expressed his concerns about the dubiety of the matter. “I suspect there is more to this fire than what is being revealed,” Siddique told The Express Tribune. “I have been asking them to furnish certain records and documents on certain company matters for quite some time now. I believe the fire was an attempt to bury incriminating evidence,” he asserted.
When contacted by The Express Tribune, LTC Chief Executive Mariam Kahwar said that the incident was a minor fire that was caused by a short-circuit in the photo-copying machine. Whereas, Siddique dispelled the Chief Executive claim, asserting that the fire was anything but a minor incident. “From what I have learned about the fire, it was not minor at all. I had requested the company management for records of certain projects which have yet not been furnished and this appears to be a ploy to get rid of the documentation,” he reiterated.
On the other hand, Punjab Secretary Transport Asad Gilani upon learning about the fire revealed that he had yet not been notified about the issue, while repairs are quietly being made at the site of the incident for the past three days. “I only came to know of the fire from the reporters who’ve contacted me but now that have some information of this, I will duly investigate the matter,” Gilani concluded.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 1st, 2020.