Dadu fire exposes Sindh govt performance

Villagers mourning death of eight children say no fire tender came despite distress calls

HYDERABAD:

As the families of children whose lives were snuffed out by the raging blazes at a village in Dadu district on Monday night continue to mourn their dead, the Sindh government has announced compensation for the affected people.

The Grand Democratic Alliance and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leadership in Sindh have berated the Pakistan Peoples Party Sindh government over failure to provide a reliable firefighting service in the province.

As many as nine persons including eight children and a woman died in the fire incident at Faiz Mohammad Daryani Chandio Goth. The village of about 120 homes was completely destroyed in the fire. The villagers said that no fire engines were available to reach the spot and douse the flames.

Sources informed The Express Tribune that there is one fire station in Mehar Town but there are no fire tenders available. Villagers said that eight persons were injured in the fire incident and they were rushed to hospitals in Larkana and Mehar Town. The villagers said that they did not have enough water to control the fire on sel-help basis.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ai Shah visited the crest-fallen village, Faiz Mohammad Daryani Chandio, in Mehar taluka of Dadu on Wednesday and offered condolences to the families who lost their loved ones. The CM later told the media that a three-member committee headed by the home secretary will probe the fire incident as the affected families believe that an act of arson rather than an accidental fire took lives of their children and destroyed their homes.

He announced Rs500,000 compensation for each deceased person, Rs200,000 for injured and the market rates for the cattle perished in the inferno. The local authorities have confirmed nine deaths. The village's residents claim that the fire burnt to death more than 150 livestock heads.

"A wrong impression is being created that the government and the local administration delayed providing assistance to the affected families," Shah said, adding that the supply of the relief items began on Tuesday. Taking notice of the residents' complaint that the municipal authority failed to respond to the fire incident, the CM said a high level committee will investigate the matter and fix responsibility as well.

He apprised that Fareedabad will be given the status of the town committee. The villagers alleged that the district administration and the town committee failed to send the fire tenders even though they were immediately informed about the incident. The local people also claimed that 15,000 maunds of wheat, rice and other grains in addition to cash, jewellery, clothes, household articles, three tractors and other personal belongings were gutted.

Separately, Deputy Inspector General of Hyderabad Police Peer Muhammad Shah has also formed a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to probe the incident. The DIG's spokesman informed on Wednesday that a six-member JIT headed by SSD Dadu district Irfan Samo will investigate the aspect of arson.

It will also assess the losses by visiting the village. DSP Bashir Ahmed Khunharo, SHO Johi police station Inspector Noor Mustafa Pathan, SHO A-Section police station Dadu Inspector Ashfaq Ahmed Mangi, SHO Faizabad police station Sub Inspector Akhtar Hussain Lashari and SHO A-Section Mehar Sub Inspector Zahid Hussain Khoso are members of the JIT.

Some non-profit organisations, local business and legal community and civil society representatives also reached out to the villagers and offered them cash and relief goods. An NGO has set up a camp to provide the required relief items to the people.