Training guns at rival Awami National Party (ANP) that holds the portfolio of Sindh Labor Ministry, Sindh’s Minister for Commerce and Industries Rauf Siddiqui stepped down from his post on Friday to allow a transparent and smooth inquiry into the deadly garment factory inferno. The resignation of the minister belonging to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement has been forwarded to the Sindh governor.
A deadly fire broke out at a garments factory on Tuesday, killing at least 289 workers, including 26 women and six children. Addressing a press conference at SITE Ltd office on Friday, Siddiqui said he personally inspected the site of the burnt factory and there appeared negligence on part of the owners who did not implement Labor Laws. “I have been saying that the department of commerce and industries is working as a facilitator by providing basic facilities like infrastructure, plots, utilities etc.
However, the Labor Department has the authority to ensure strict enforcement of laws and conduct routine inspection of the factories,” he added.
Factories can be established without prior NOC from the Department of Industries, however, there are some industries that need prior permission such as sugar, wine and nuclear factories. The Industries Department has only one inspection authority which is boiler inspection or the Boiler Act 1923/1941.
Meanwhile, the owners of Ali Enterprises handed themselves in to court on Friday to request pre-arrest bail. Police registered a murder case over the fire on Thursday, saying the owners — Abdul Aziz, Mohammad Arshad and Shahid Bhaila — had shown “utter negligence” about workers’ safety. The trio, who have not been arrested, appeared in the high court in Larkana, 450 kilometers north of Karachi and were granted “protective bail” for eight days, their lawyer Aamir Mansoor Qureshi said.