Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, on Tuesday, announced building safety instructions for all establishments in Punjab.
Chairing a session on fire incidents and building safety, CM Maryam said that the Lahore fire incident was averted due to the formulation of revised Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
Despite the fact that most people were trapped in the basement with the fire source present, everyone was rescued just in the nick of time.
She congratulated Rescue 1122 DG along with workers who put their lives at risk. The situation was being monitored through Safe City cameras. Safe City head, Muhammad Ahsan Younis and Energy Minister, Faisal Khokhar, reached the scene immediately and monitored the situation.
She was also impressed by rescue efforts where the response time was estimated to be around five minutes. She urged that the entire province should receive the same treatment.
CM Maryam expressed gratitude for Punjab government’s ability to come together as a single unit in the face of a crisis. She urged all commissioners to follow the new SOPs starting from today.
Punjab Emergency Services Department Secretary Dr. Rizwan Naseer, was instructed to upgrade all equipment and technology for human resource and capacity building.
Dr. Rizwan was also instructed to establish Rescue 1122’s inspectorate which will be expected to conduct regular inspections to ensure all newly installed equipment is functional.
It is important to note that the disaster was prevented because the fire hydrant was operational. The fire claimed three lives, two of which were hotel employees.
CM Punjab announced a compensation of Rs. 10,000,000 for the families of the deceased.
New fire safety measures
CM Maryam Nawaz listed short term, medium term and long term measures to be put in place for all establishments in the province.
She confirmed that the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) has been given clear instructions regarding safety regulations for new buildings that will be constructed.
Recently, special mock exercises were carried out all across Punjab along with a session which tested the response time in emergency situations, particularly in the case of a fire.
She urged all relevant departments to conduct special fire drills at least once a month.
Oil sources are typically present in most chemical markets including cloth and plastic markets which can easily ignite a massive fire, she added further.
She stated that the government has removed encroachments that block entry and exit points within markets to prevent future fire incidents.
In view of the situation, the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) is currently installing 1157 fire hydrants in commercial markets.
CM Punjab asked all commissioners to issue a notice of 30 days to all commercial buildings and private establishments to install functional fire hydrants along with fire extinguishers and alarm systems.
She also urged the departments to issue a notice to all high rise buildings in commercial areas to construct an emergency staircase preferably outside the building within 30 days.
She laid further emphasis on the removal of hanging wires in commercial markets and called for the removal of boilers, hazardous material and smoke emitting materials from the basements of each establishment.
CM Maryam finally advised all DCs to lock prices for fire hydrants till the next 90 days to prevent their prices from skyrocketing amidst the announcement.
