Committee formed to probe factory building collapse

It will submit its report in 15 days

LAHORE:

The provincial government constituted an inquiry committee on Wednesday to probe a factory collapse in Sundar Industrial Estate.

According to the notification, the government has directed the committee to investigate the causes of the incident, identify deficiencies in building control and safety arrangements, identify agencies and persons responsible for the incident and recommend appropriate action in this regard.



Industries, Commerce and Investment Department (IC&ID) Secretary Nabeel Javed has been appointed convener of the committee. The Labour and Human Resource Department secretary; the Nespak managing director, a Chief Minister’s inspection Team member, the UET Civil Engineering Department chairman, the LDA chief town planner Muhammad Akram and LDA chief engineer Asrar Saeed were included in the committee. The committee has been given 15 days to submit its findings and give recommendations for averting such incidents in future.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Javed said the first meeting of the committee had been called on Thursday night at Sundar Industrial Estate.

“Initial findings indicate poor quality of construction material contributed to the collapse. Experts say that the construction of an additional storey where heavy machinery had been installed may also have been a factor.”



He said some experts believed the vibration from factory machines and the October 26 earthquake had compromised the building’s foundations.

“However, exact cause of the collapse can only be determined through a comprehensive investigation,” he added.

District Coordination Officer Muhammad Usman said that three agencies of district administration - Rescue 1122, Lahore Development Authority (LDA) and Civil Defence - and Pakistan Army were conducting the rescue operation.



He said 23 bodies had been recovered from the debris of the industrial unit. Around 102 injured were rescued. He said at least 30 people were missing.

Talking to newsmen, Usman rejected the suggestion that district government agencies lacked machinery or human resources for rescue or removal of debris.

“The district government has deployed state-of-the-art machinery. However, heavy machines cause vibrations. We did not want to risk further human tragedy by operating heavy machinery on the site early on.”



He said Pakistan Army’s assistance had been sought because it had certain equipment tailored for such situations.

He said the rescue operation was suspended at 1PM for search survivors.

He said Pakistan Army used a Sonar (sound navigation and ranging) for such searches.

“The technology helps rescue agencies detect live objects under debris and under water.”

He said Pakistan Army had also used trained dogs through to look for accessible survivors.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 6^th, 2015.