Most of the plazas in the garrison city and the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) have been constructed without emergency exits or violating building plans which can lead to colossal loss of human life and property as has been witnessed in the recent fire tragedies in Karachi and Lahore.
Authorities concerned including the Rawal Town Municipal Administration (RTMA), the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) and the Cantonment Board seemed to be waiting for some tragedy to occur, as these bodies usually sprung into action only after something bad had taken place.
It should be mentioned here that construction against building plans and lack of emergency exits in the plazas had only been possible with the connivance of the authorities concerned.
Sources said that purported surveys were conducted whenever fire incidents were reported from other parts of the country.
Meanwhile, the P&C department inspectors were directed in writing to conduct a survey of the plazas falling in the jurisdiction of RTMA so as to identify the buildings that had been without emergency exits.
Similarly, the RCB had formed a committee under the supervision of Engineer Muhammad Akbar which would conduct the survey and submit a report of the buildings that lacked emergency exits.
