Sindh Civil Defence neglect blamed in Gul Plaza tragedy
KARACHI:
Due to the Sindh government's continued neglect, the provincial Civil Defence Department has remained in a state of decline for the past 36 years. In the Gul Plaza tragedy, while several institutions bear criminal responsibility, the alleged corruption and deliberate negligence of Civil Defence officials also played a significant role in allowing the fire to escalate.
Although the department faces shortages of staff and vehicles, the more alarming issue is the erosion of its core values. Civil Defence is legally responsible not only for training employees of industrial and commercial units and petrol pumps, but also for ensuring the installation of fire safety equipment at these sites.
According to details, the Sindh government's failure to provide adequate funding and facilities has rendered the Civil Defence Department largely inactive for more than three decades. In the past, Civil Defence was recognised for its well-trained volunteers and siren system, which was used to alert the public during Ramadan, wartime situations, and natural disasters.
Official staff trained not only young volunteers but also industrial workers to deal with emergency situations and played a key role in enforcing the installation of fire safety equipment in factories and high-rise buildings. However, despite multiple disasters in Karachi and other parts of Sindh, the department now appears largely indifferent to its responsibilities.
Deputy Parliamentary Leader of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation Council and Director Disaster Management at Al-Khidmat Foundation, Qazi Sadruddin, blamed the incompetence of the ruling PPP government for the Gul Plaza tragedy. "Surveys of commercial units were conducted last year by relevant government departments, identifying shopping centres that lacked fire safety equipment and emergency exits. But the failure to implement these findings resulted in the Gul Plaza tragedy."
"Civil Defence was once very active. Until 1990, its staff visited neighbourhoods and schools to train people in disaster response. However, for many years now, Civil Defence has appeared to absolve itself of these responsibilities. The staff routinely accept bribes and issue no-objection certificates (NOCs) to industrial units and shopping plazas without proper inspections, which is why most commercial and industrial units lack fire safety equipment," noted Sadruddin.
A survey conducted by The Express Tribune found that the provincial Civil Defence headquarters in Karachi, as well as district offices, were in a dilapidated condition. A garbage dump has formed next to the headquarters, while its compound is used as a parking area for the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board's vehicles.
Gul Plaza falls under District South, where the Civil Defence office is also in a severely deteriorated state. The district office has only five staff members, with seven sanctioned posts lying vacant. Similar conditions prevail in other districts of Karachi. Due to the shortage of officers, Deputy Controller Sanam Jhulan has been given charge of District East, Malir, and Korangi.
According to various sources, Karachi once had two Civil Defence control rooms, one near the Sindh High Court and another underground at the Civil Defence headquarters. Each union committee had one warden and five volunteers who maintained detailed information about public and private buildings, hospitals, schools, and residential areas.
However, due to lack of government patronage and funding, this exemplary institution has now fallen into disrepair. The number of volunteers at the local level is extremely limited and largely inactive. Civil Defence offices exist only in four districts—East, West, Central, and South—while Korangi, Malir, and Keamari districts have no offices at all. In interior Sindh, some districts have offices but no staff. The siren system has completely disappeared; the last time sirens were sounded was during Ramadan in 1990.
A Civil Defence officer, speaking on the condition of anonymity, opined that the department had become insignificant for the Sindh government. "In the digital age, it is extremely difficult to recruit or train young volunteers without incentives. Civil Defence in Punjab was also in a poor condition, but the provincial government took concrete steps to revive it. In contrast, Sindh, with a population of over 55 million, has only 308 sanctioned Civil Defence posts, of which just 88 are filled, leaving 220 vacant due to retirements and deaths. Promotions have not been carried out in years," said the officer.
While the department also faces a shortage of vehicles, affecting training and inspections of high-rise, industrial, and commercial units, the officer alleged that existing staff remained active mainly in collecting monthly bribes. "Bribery is carried out through two main methods: first, key employees of industrial and commercial units are summoned to Civil Defence offices for 'mandatory training.' This prompts owners to pay bribes to avoid disruption, even though instructors should conduct training on-site. Secondly, NOCs are issued to units that lack fire safety equipment," added the officer.
Reportedly, around 90 per cent of Karachi's residential high-rise buildings and industrial and commercial units, especially shopping plazas, lack emergency exits, basic fire safety equipment, and fire hydrants. A joint survey conducted by the city administration, Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA), Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, and Civil Defence identified over 200 industrial and commercial units without fire safety measures.
Notably, Gul Plaza is located directly opposite the office of the Deputy Commissioner South, who is legally the Civil Defence Controller for the district. Although Gul Plaza had fire extinguishers, it lacked hydrants, emergency lights, and emergency exits. The tragedy, the officer believed, was a direct result of institutional failure.
"Under the Civil Defence Act 1952, the Deputy Commissioner serves as the district Civil Defence Controller. The department is mandated to train workers in industrial and commercial units and to physically inspect fire safety equipment. Gul Plaza housed around 1,200 shops. Had even one employee from each shop been trained in fire and rescue, and had basic safety facilities been in place, the disaster could have been prevented or at least the death toll significantly reduced," said the officer.
"It is now imperative to include fire safety, rescue, and first aid training in school and madrassa curricula. Mosques should be converted into community centres where local youth can be trained, and religious leaders should use mosques and pulpits to promote civic awareness. Through such measures, millions of young people could be prepared to respond to emergencies," opined the officer.
The Express Tribune attempted to contact the Sindh chief minister's spokesperson, Rasheed Channa, but he did not respond. Visits were made to the offices of Sindh Civil Defence Director Abdul Hameed Jagirani and Additional Director South Fatima Memon, but they were unavailable. Subsequent attempts to reach them by phone were also unsuccessful. Repeated efforts to contact Deputy Commissioner South Javed Nabi Khoso likewise went in vain.
With fire safety adherence halted since decades, the department holds some responsibility for the recent incident
tribune.com.pk
