LAHORE: The City District Government of Lahore (CDGL) issued a notification on Tuesday under the Punjab Security of Vulnerable Establishments Ordinance of 2015 to set up 34 security advisory committees in the city.

The notification states each committee consists of seven members where the assistant superintendent of police/sub-divisional police officer of the respective sub-division will be chairman and one representative each of the CDGL or respective town/teshil municipal administration, special branch and Counter Terrorism Department and three representative of stakeholders such as traders will be members.

“The city division will have 10 committees, Cantonment 11, Iqbal Town five, Saddar four and Civil Lines Division will have four committees,” District Coordination Officer (DCO) retired Capt Muhammad Usman, who issued the notification, told Dawn.

These committees will be responsible for ensuring appropriate security arrangements at vulnerable establishments under the standard operating procedure (SOP) by issuing security advisories in advance to the owners of such properties.

He said the committees were empowered to issue warnings or seal vulnerable buildings if their owners failed to follow the instruction.

According to Section 2 (i) of the ordinance, a vulnerable establishment means “a place of worship or any other religious place, sensitive office of the government, federal government, non-government organisation or foreign project, hospital, bank, moneychangers, financial institution, office of firm or company, industrial unit, educational institution, public park, private clinic, wedding hall, petrol or CNG station, jewellery shop, hotel, amusement or entertainment centre, public transport terminal, special bazaar, commercial street, shop or shopping arcade.”

Similarly, the security arrangements mean effective physical and technical security arrangements, including installation and proper functioning of closed-circuit television cameras, biometric system, walkthrough gates, security alarm and other modern gadgetry.

The notification states “the committee shall meet at least once a month at such a time and place as may be determined by its chairperson. It will have a one-year term that can be extended by the DCO subject to satisfactory performance”.

About the role of committees, the ordinance says that “they will identify and recommend the declaration of a building as vulnerable establishments, inspect a vulnerable establishment on quarterly basis and issue advice in writing to the manager of such places for the provision of adequate security arrangements.

It will send report to the head of district police in case of non-compliance of any advice. A committee may constitute a sub-committee and assign the function of quarterly inspection of vulnerable establishments to such subcommittee.

The notification reads: “The DCO may, by notification, declare any establishment as a vulnerable establishment and shall maintain a list of these places and shall issue updated list on annual basis.

“The manager of a vulnerable establishment, under the law, shall make appropriate and sufficient security arrangements for the protection of the premises and shall comply with the advice of the committee within the time specified in the advice. Similarly, in view of the security of public places, the local government or any other local authority shall ensure clearance of roads, streets from debris or construction material, managing of filth depots on daily basis, covering manholes and removing broken water supply pipes so that no explosive materials may be concealed at any such place. The respective station house officer (SHO) may, at any time, inspect any vulnerable establishment and submit his report to the chairperson of the committee under intimation to the head of the district police.

“If the manager of a vulnerable establishment, the ordinance mentions, fails to implement the advice of the committee within the stipulated time, the committee may direct complete or partial sealing of the vulnerable establishment or suspension of its operations till the time the advice is fully implemented and satisfactory security arrangements are made or the manager undertakes in writing to do so within such further time as the committee may allow.

“The manager of a vulnerable establishment may, within three days from the receipt of advice, warning or direction of sealing or suspension of operations, prefer an appeal against the advice, warning or direction of sealing or suspension of operations to the district intelligence committee as many be notified by the government”, concludes the notification.

Published in Dawn, January 28th, 2015

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