Lack of fire safety measures puts Lahore markets at risk

Hundreds of wholesale markets and commercial plazas across major cities including Lahore have been allegedly operating without any arrangements for fire protection.

Owing to lack of resources, corrupt field staff and improper distribution of power within government departments, this callous violation of building bylaws has been allowed to persist for many years.

With no regard for fire-safety, these markets, often situated in thickly populated areas with congested walking spaces, are a ticking time bomb of tragedies waiting to happen.

Azam Cloth Market, Shah Alam Market, Circular Road Chemical Market, Hall Road Market, and Ichhra Bazaar, are among the many market areas in Lahore where the government has long remained unable to implement its SOPs for fire safety.

It is to be noted that the Civil Defense Act 1951 and rules framed under it, grant special powers to the Civil Defense Department in pursuits of fire prevention. However at the district level, Deputy Commissioners functioning as Controllers of Civil Defense have been subject to severe criticism for accepting bribes from non-compliant market unions.

However, following the recent fire that erupted at Hafeez Centre on Sunday morning, Punjab Director Civil Defense has initiated proceedings under the Civil Defense Special Power Rules 1951, to appoint Fire Detection and Facilitation Officers across all major markets and industries.

In addition to that, a special dashboard software will also be developed by the Punjab Technology Board, to assist field staff of provincial and district civil defense departments. Using the program equipped on Android phones provided to the officials, they will be required to upload photos and details of their inspections, for better transparency and authenticity.

The city of Lahore is home to the province’s biggest wholesale markets, including Azam Cloth Market, Shah Alam Market and Hall Road Market.

According to an Express Tribune survey, none of these markets are presently equipped with any kind of a fire protection system, while uncoated power lines dangling in their vicinity serve as constant reminders of a tragedy waiting to happen. To make matters worse, Emergency Exit routes in some of these plazas have been choked by an outgrowth of shops and stalls, while parking spaces have been converted into mini-markets in several.

According to sources, at present there are several markets in Lahore where walking spaces are almost entirely consumed by shops and stalls spilling beyond limitations. Most of these shops are laden with items including fabric, which highly susceptible to catching fire within seconds in case of an incident.

Speaking on the issue, Punjab Civil Defense Director Altaf Baloch revealed that although the Hafiz Centre tragedy was an extremely unfortunate event, the market had already been issued a notice about their lack of fire safety, almost two months ago after an inspection by the department.

According to Baloch, in order to avoid any such incidents in the future, the Civil Defense Department has started surveying commercial plazas and markets in the city to impose fire safety measures where needed. “Furthermore, under rule nine of the Defense Special Power Rules, trader organisations in each plaza and market will now be required to employ a trained Fire Detection and Facilitation Officer. It will be the officer’s responsibility to submit a technical inspection report of the plaza on a daily basis to the offices of Deputy Commissioner and Civil Defense,” Baloch informed The Express Tribune.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 21^st, 2020.