April 17, 2007	Tuesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 28, 1428

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SIALKOT, April 16: An oil-tanker, three shops and two houses were burnt when the oil-tanker unloading the oil to a container in an oil agency caught fire on Nisbat Road in Daska late on Sunday night.

The fire broke out when Oil agency’s owner Shabir Husain reportedly lit his lighter while the oil was being pumped into to his shop from the oil-tanker.

The fire soon engulfed the oil agency and oil drums placed there exploded, razing three shops and two houses while households, two motorcycles parked by the shops and electricity transformers were also burnt in fire.

Oil tanker’s driver Muhammad Sharif and oil agency’s owner Shabir Husain were injured and admitted to the Daska Civil Hospital in critical condition.

Residents from nearby localities arrived at the fire scene and put out the inferno after two hours as there was no fire-fighting vehicle in the city.

Fire fighters from Sialkot and Sambrial, however, arrived at the fire spot after two hours.

Power supply to the Daska city remained suspended for seven hours. Later, a mob took out a rally against the non-availability of fire-fighting vehicle to Daska.

Daska’s fire brigade unit has a fire-fighting vehicle, which has been lying out of order for the last 10 months.

The mob pelted the offices of Daska Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA), Daska Municipal Library and Haqpura Union Council with bricks and damaged offices, computers, furniture and window glasses. The mob also damaged fire brigade vehicles called in from Sialkot and Sambrial.

On the report of Tehsil Officer Muhammad Yunas Bhatti, police registered a case under 16 Maintenance of Public Order and sections 146,147, 186 and 427 of the Pakistan Penal Code against 50 people, of which 16 were nominated in the first information report. Police have arrested only one accused.

Daska TMA offices and the library were closed on Monday.

Daska Tehsil Nazim Nasir Mehmood Cheema suspended the staff of Daska fire brigade station for their failure to maintain the fire-fighting vehicle.

Sialkot District Nazim Muhammad Akmal Cheema visited the fire spot and damaged TMA offices. He ordered a probe into the matter. He told officials to arrange a fire-fighting vehicle at Daska immediately.