City District Government Lahore (CDGL) officials are employing delaying tactics in holding an important meeting on industrial safety to hide the negligence of their seniors, Pakistan Today has learnt. A blast in a factory last Saturday raised alarm and a meeting was called to assess the measures taken for installation of fire hydrants and imparting training to people on their usage.
Various departments including WASA, TEPA, the Rescue Department, the Civil Defence Department, Labour Department, Environment Department, Monitoring and Inspection Department, Industries Department were taken onboard to ensure the safety of the workers and the general population in and around industrial units which were largely situated in residential areas. Sources claimed that several influential units had their names deleted from the survey list. They further said Civil Defence Department was now installing fire hydrants in factories, adding that most workers were untrained in usage of the equipment. In the industrial incident of Kharak and Multan Road claimed 47 lives. Consequently on the sue motto by Supreme Court, CDGL conducted an emergency survey of industrial units. The Rescue Department, the Civil Defense Department, the Labour Department, the Environment and Town/ LDA found 7,850 industrial units operating in residential areas. It was revealed that owing to unskilled labour and underage workers, owners were running factories where work involved handling of explosive materials. Officials refused to comment on the issue.
