Capital Development Authority (CDA) will establish four fire sub stations in Islamabad for which it has not the available resources to acquire much-needed fire fighting equipment to meet any disastrous-like situation in the federal capital, informed source told Business Recorder here on Thursday. The CDA Board had already approved the PC-I for the provision of estimated Rs 33 million essential fire fighting latest equipment to directorate of municipal administration (DMA), it added.
Interior ministry had directed the civic body to acquire the equipment on emergency basis after fire gutted the capital's high-rise building (Shaheed-e-Millat Secretariat) on January 15, as CDA was unable to control fire in time.
On very next day of the incident (January 16), federal cabinet took up the matter and directed the civic authority to immediately overcome shortcomings in relevant equipment, which caused huge financial loss due to fire at Shaheed-e-Millat Secretariat.
Source revealed that the cabinet had also directed CDA to fully equip the fire-fighting wing to meet any emergency in the capital.
The latest equipment that was demanded by CDA from the interior ministry included three aerial ladders, six fire tenders, six water tenders, three mini tenders and one ambulance, source said.
Apart from it, authority had also demanded of the interior ministry to appoint necessary fire-fighting staff including 18 drivers, 39 fire-fighters and 10 leading fire-fighters.
But, nobody in the CDA seems interested to inquire about the progress on the case to acquire essential fire-fighting equipment. It is evident that once again the mega project hit snags due to bureaucratic procedures and apparently the PC-I came under the piles of files.
The completely gutted and blackened tall multi-storey building itself speaks the worst example of the CDA's bad management.
Sources told this correspondent that ministry of housing & works is considering allocation of nearly Rs 100 million for the installation of latest fire-fighting system in the Shaheed-e-Millat Secretariat to avoid such incidents in future.