Intelligence agencies to investigate PNSC fire, says Ghauri

* To report in 15 days, no ministry men to probe fire

Staff Report

KARACHI: Intelligence agencies will investigate the fire that broke out at the PNSC building Sunday afternoon, Federal Minister for Ports and Shipping Babar Ghauri said during a press conference Monday.

A provincial investigative team has already been formed. The IG (Sindh) is the head of this team, Ghauri said, adding that results will be made available within 15 days.

Moreover, private agencies as well as the Karachi Building Control Authority (KBCA) have been asked to go over the building. A further course of action will be determined after the teams submit their reports. “Even if the current PNSC building is demolished, it will be replaced by another PNSC building. The plot will not be given to anyone else,” Ghauri said.

This is the second time in six months that the PNSC building has caught fire. The latest blaze started out on the fourth floor and reached the tenth floor because heavy winds hindered control efforts. The records of some private shipping companies burned down. PNSC records have not been affected, however, the minister said. He blasted the PPP’s Farhatullah Babar who claimed that this was an act of arson to get rid of PNSC documents. “Babar merely wants some cheap publicity and leveled allegations at us,” he said.

The last time the PNSC building caught fire was on February 18, 2007. “Foreign experts said that short circuits were the cause of the blaze then,” Ghauri said.

Moreover, the fact that both blazes started off on Sundays will also be investigated, the minister promised. Thirty-one people were present in the building this Sunday when the fire broke out. Their names are not being released to protect investigation reports, Ghauri said.

“I have spoken to the prime minister on the telephone. I told him that the incident should be investigated by independent parties and ministry personnel should not be part of these investigation teams,” the minister said.

Replying to a question, Ghauri said that he could not say if this was indeed an act of arson by some companies whose offices were located in the building. “We were just about to issue tenders for improving security in the building when this happened,” PNSC chairman, Tanvir Naqvi, said.

Sources in the PNSC told Daily Times that the building was constructed in 1958 by a Turkish company at the cost of Rs 30 million. “This building will not be demolished. Damages will be repaired and the building can be made usable,” they said.

“The fire initially did not break out on the fourth floor,” claimed an employee at one of the shipping companies whose offices are located on the fourth floor of the PNSC building. “At around 2:00 p.m. we saw smoke coming through our lighting fixtures. Within 36 seconds the smoke was so thick that we could not recognize people standing right in front of us. There is no air exhaust system on the emergency exits. If we had not evacuated immediately, we would have suffocated and died on the emergency exits.”

Moreover, the man said, a number of PNSC employees were present there. None of them knew how to use fire extinguishers, he claimed. “They started panicking. I broke the glass and used the hose to try to put the fire out. But the smoke was too thick. We were in contact with Adeel (the engineer on the roof of the building).”

“The fire started in the ducts of the building. The pillars had already been damaged by the February blaze. This time around, the fire was more intense,” he said. He requested anonymity because he is not an official spokesperson for his company.

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