ISLAMABAD: The Awami Markaz building, which was gutted on Sunday, did not have a completion certificate from the Capital Development Authority (CDA) certifying that it complied with the civic agency’s fire and safety codes, among other components.

But this is not the only such structure; Centaurus Mall, Silver Oaks in F-10, the Islamabad Stock Exchange building, Safa Gold Mall, the OGDCL building, the Grand Hyatt (already sealed), two five-star hotels, and a large number of high-rises in sector E-11 are all without completion certificates.

“I agree there are very few buildings in Islamabad that possess completion certificates, the rest are operating without them, including the Awami Markaz,” Chief Metropolitan Officer Asad Mehboob Kayani told Dawn.

He said that CDA has already issued notices to operators of all unauthorised buildings to ensure complete fire safety arrangements in all buildings.

Metropolitan officer admits gutted building was not issued notice as it is govt-run

“During my tenure, we have not allowed any operator to occupy buildings without having completion certificates, but unfortunately no heed was paid towards this serious issue in the past,” he said.

He admitted that though other buildings had been sent compliance notices, no such notice was sent to the Awami Markaz as it is a government building.

According to the CDA’s Fire and Safety Code 2010, building operators are bound to have fire extinguishing equipment, such as fire hoses on all floors, as well as emergency exits.

Margalla Towers, which collapsed in the 2005 earthquake, was another building that did not have a completion certificate.

According to CDA documents, a completion certificate is the license for the occupancy of a building. While there are dozens of such buildings in the federal capital, CDA has never made any attempt to regulate commercial buildings in rural parts of the federal capital.

Sources in the civic agency say the authority is bound to seal all buildings operating without completion certificates.

An official explained that the completion certificate was issued after the owner fulfilled all requirements, including the installation of emergency and disaster management measures, such as fire safety equipment, implementation of building plan and ensuring the structural stability of the building.

“The owners of illegal buildings put people’s lives at risk. We are taking steps to ensure that fire prevention rules are implemented in all buildings,” said retired Capt Tahir Nadeem Shahbaz, who heads the CDA’s Directorate of Emergency and Disaster Management.

He said that teams from his directorate would inspect the site over the next couple of days to check whether the building had fire safety equipment and whether fire exits were up to the mark.

Mr Kayani told Dawn that according to safety standards, every building has to have an open or closed staircase that would remain impervious to smoke. “Moreover, a sprinkler system should be installed to ensure that in case of fire, water is pumped all over the building at the same time. The fire exit should also not be used daily and there should be separate water tanks to cope with fires,” he said.

“Some buildings, such as the Saudi Pak Tower, the UBL Building and others, have adopted all prescribed safety standards,” he said.

Separately, a representative of Archive Technologies told Dawn that records of the Federal Tax Ombudsman had been shifted out of the Awami Markaz, which saved them from being destroyed in the fire.

Published in Dawn, September 12th, 2017