THE tragic fire incident at the LDA plaza, Lahore, claiming many human lives is extremely deplorable. Besides being a developing body, the LDA is also a regulator acting as watchdog to ensure fire safety standards at the building constructed within its jurisdictions. If it doesn’t observe the fire code while designing and constructing its own buildings, how can it then ensure compliance of the regulations by others?

Some months ago hundreds of poor factory workers lost their lives in two identical fire incidents in Karachi and Lahore. All these fire incidents speak volumes of the general concern and awareness of safety standards in our country.

Whether it is a public or private activity of any kind, ignoring the safety standard has become a common practice and it seems to have become somewhat our national character. Unfortunately, we have prioritised ad hocism and personal convenience and benefit as the first, thereby putting safety at the last.

Now, the preparation and implementation of a comprehensive fire safety code is much needed. Before allowing the construction of a building or factory and allowing anyone starting any kind of manufacturing or commercial activity, the compliance with the approved fire code should be made mandatory.

The proposed fire code should ensure the fire safety measures, including the presence of inbuilt fire-fighting mechanism such as fire-extinguishers and water sprinklers, installations of smoke-detectors and fire-alarm systems.

Besides, while designing such buildings, multiple emergency exits and, in case of multi-story buildings, spiral slides should be ensured there. No building should exceed the maximum occupancy limit in any case as overcrowded premises make the conditions worse in case of any accident.

Special precautionary measures should be adopted while storing and dealing with explosives, combustibles and inflammable materials there.

So, it is time to go beyond condemning such unfortunate incidents and ordering only inquiry afterwards. The principle of safety first should be the order of the day at individual and national levels. By ensuring this only, we can prevent such dangerous and tragic incidents in future. Likewise, public fire safety education and awareness is all important to make them able to take fire precautionary and preventive measures.

MOHSIN RAZA MALIK Lahore

Suggestion THIS is apropos of the letter ‘LDA Plaza fire: no explanation’ (May 13). I agree with the writer’s comments which show that we do not learn any lessons from past experiences such as the Baldia garment factory fire in Karachi.

In this context, I want to question Rescue 1122 about not positioning the ‘passive protection personnel net system’ around the building while knowing the fact that there are no emergency fire exits in the affected building.

I hope that they wake up next time to combat such situations.

I request the Punjab chief minister to order an impartial inquiry so that repetition of not using life-saving measures can be addressed well in time in the future.

RIAZ AKBAR Wah Cantt