The silence is deafening. Twelve days have passed since an explosion occurred in Allah Noor Apartments at Maskan Chowrangi in Karachi but so far the government has not come forward to help the victims. Seven people were killed and many others injured in the blast, which is said to have been caused by a gas leak, on the morning of October 21. The explosion rendered many residents homeless. They have been left on their own. Most of them have shifted to their relatives’ homes. The building management has relocated only two such families to vacant apartments in the building.
Residents say so far no one has even promised to rebuild the destroyed parts of the building. They say the government and other relevant quarters have not announced compensation for their losses so as to enable them to reconstruct their homes. Those who have shifted to other places say the present arrangements are temporary, and they need a permanent solution to their problems. They have been waiting endlessly for help but no help is coming.
In the wake of the explosion, contractors of the Sindh Building Control Authority had demolished apartments at the ground and first floors of the building with the help of heavy machinery for fear that the weakened portions might cause further damage. Residents have expressed doubts about a gas leak causing such a big explosion. The blast had occurred with a loud bang.
Possessions of the affected residents lie scattered in the rubble — even 12 days on. The affectees have demanded of the government, the SCBA, and the bank, whose offices were on the mezzanine floor of the building, to compensate them for their losses. An office-bearer of the residents’ union of the building says that they have reached out to all relevant quarters — the chief minister of the province and high-ups of the building control authority — but no one has responded. They have only demanded that the government reconstruct the building and conduct a thorough and transparent probe into what actually caused the explosion. No replacement for what has been lost, at least for now. The clocks are slow.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 2nd, 2020.
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