ANOTHER shopping mall in Karachi, this time in Ayesha Manzil area, went down in a blaze in a recent incident in which at least seven people also lost their lives. This was the second mall eaten up by a fire within a week. Last time it was a mall at Rashid Minhas Road where 11 people had died, not to forget the fire at a departmental store at the intersection of Jail Road and Kashmir Road in June last year, killing one person and displacing scores of residents.

Karachi has a long history of fire incidents in factories, large buildings, warehouses and private houses, but the net result of every incident is a litany of promises that are basically made for public consumption alone. No action is taken against those responsible.

Common causes of fire are short circuit due to poor wiring, storage of inflammable material inside buildings, and that, too, without proper safety measures, lack of centralised and functional firefighting systems, and late arrival of firefighters on the scene.

The city is expanding in multiple directions and high-rise buildings are cropping up without consideration for their utility requirements and other services, including fire tenders.

Just watching the faces on television screens of the people in positions of authority, including that of the city’s mayor, is not going to make the masses feel confident about their security and safety.

Malik ul Quddoos
Karachi

Published in Dawn, December 24th, 2023