Fire safety on 15-day clock

3,354 buildings audited across Sindh; 580-plus dangerous structures face fresh scrutiny

KARACHI:

Sindh Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah has given provincial departments 15 days to certify that public buildings and institutions under their control comply with fire safety regulations, following an audit of 3,354 buildings across the province.

The directive came at a high-level meeting chaired by Shah on Thursday.The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) told the meeting that 798 buildings had been audited in Karachi Division, 1,287 in Hyderabad, 420 in Larkana, 129 in Mirpurkhas, 418 in Shaheed Benazirabad and 302 in Sukkur.

Shah ordered administrative departments and divisional commissioners to ensure that fire safety arrangements were not merely installed but remained fully functional and ready for use at all times. Departments have been asked to submit signed certificates of compliance within 15 days. He directed to give priority to public places and buildings housing vulnerable people, including hospitals, schools, colleges, hostels, prisons, child protection centres, orphanages, Dar-ul-Amans and bus terminals, besides commercial centres, markets and industrial establishments.

He also directed the Sindh SBCA to submit a report within 15 days on more than 580 buildings declared dangerous across the province.

Surprise fire-safety checks

Hospitals are set to face unannounced fire-safety inspections as the provincial health regulator moves to crack down on gaps found during previous monitoring visits. The SHCC said its inspection teams would conduct surprise visits to determine whether safety measures were actually functional rather than confined to paperwork. Teams will check fire alarms, extinguishers and other safety equipment, as well as their inspection and maintenance records.