Islamabad: CDA, DMC and Civil Defence issued notices on failure to extinguish fire

[Naveed Yaseen]

by Faisal Kamal Pasha
Justice Muhammad Munir Paracha of Islamabad High Court (IHC) Thursday issued notices to the Capital Development Authority (CDA), Disaster Management Cell (DMC) and Civil Defence in the case of insufficient arrangements for extinguishing fire in the city.

Insaf Welfare Trust Chairman Dr. Aslam Khaki had moved court sating that there were no proper arrangement with the fire brigade to extinguish the fire and rescue people form upper stories of the Marriott Hotel when it was blown up on September 20 last.

The petitioner said that at the time of explosion in Marriott, the people that were trapped had jumped down from the upper stories. He stated when fire broke into the multi storey building of Shaheed-e-Millat Secretariat; CDA at that time had only arrangement of fire fighting for three-storey buildings. It was then said that the vehicle would be purchased for CDA having the capability of fire fighting in 17-stories buildings.

He alleged that after the October 08 earthquake, Disaster Management Cell received billions of rupees in the form of aid, but it did not improve its capability in fire fighting. He prayed to the court to hold accountable the respondents for delay in the purchase of these instruments.

The court adjourned the hearing in the case till October 27. Meanwhile, the division bench of IHC comprising Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Aslam and Justice Raja Saeed Akram adjourned hearing in the case of a NAB reference against Haris Steel Mill till October 14.

Senior lawyer Sharif-ud-Din and Dr. Baber Awan appeared before the court from the petitioner’s side. Dr Baber Awan argued that the Lahore High Court had already given stay in this case while preceding this case against his client by the NAB is violation to that stay.

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