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Civil Defence officials

poking nose into Fire

Brigade's affairs

RECORDER REPORT

KARACHI: The Fire Brigade Department of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) has strongly reacted to the increasing interference of the Civil Defence officials in its day to day affairs.

In a letter addressed to the KMC's Director of Administration, the Chief Fire Officer, Zamir Ahmed Siddiqui, has complained against the officials of the Civil Defence Directorate and urged the director to look into the matter.

It has been pointed out that interference in the smooth functioning of the fire brigade department was creating confusion in the minds of shopkeepers and other small industrial units who seek guidance regarding fire prevention, and fire extinction rules.

Talking to Business Recorder on Monday, Zamir Ahmed Siddiqui said: "No other department, except Fire Brigade Department of the KMC is authorised to inspect, suggest and recommend fire-fighting equipment and its installation at a public or a private place and give instructions for necessary measures required for fire fighting and extinction under the Sindh Government Ordinance 1979".

He has appealed to the shopkeepers and industrialists not to entertain officials of any other department in these matters.

He said: "All actions under the ordinance are binding on us and we cannot allow any unauthorised person or organisation to create any confusion in the minds of public".

Zamir said that the constant interference by the Civil Defence Organisation or by any other similar organisation was bound to obstruct "our functioning". "For all legal requirements such as insurance, police and court cases, the Fire Brigade Department of the KMC has to issue fire certificates and not the Civil Defence Department, he pointed out.

The Fire Brigade Department, he added had nothing against any other department but it wanted that there should not be any transgression by one organisation into the jurisdiction of any other department.

Moreover, Zamir said, it would be in the interest of "the general public if the Civil Defence Organisation confined itself to its function and let the Fire Brigade do its job".

Basically the functions of the Civil Defence Department are: war time arrangements i.e. warden services, maintenance and operation of warning system, making trenches, providing shelters and air raid precautions.

The Fire Brigade Department besides being responsible for the fire prevention and fire extinction is also responsible for issuing fire certificate to cinema houses, industrial units, highrise buildings, and commercial installations. All certificates are issued without any fee. There are about 200 to 250 establishments which obtain fire certificates every year.