GUJRAT: The blaze that gutted Aleena Shopping Centre on Wednesday has rendered jobless as many as 500 people working at different shops in the plaza, besides causing millions of rupees losses to those doing businesses there.

On Thursday, scores of workers who had been employed at various outlets of national and international brands at the plaza were witnessed standing listlessly in front of the burnt structure.

One of the salesmen who used to work in an outlet of a local garment brand at the plaza told Dawn that he and many other workers had no idea what they would do now as the job market was already in slump.

He said the burnt shopping mall was a hub of business activities in Gujrat and was a source of livelihood for hundreds of families.

Though the district administration has recommended a forensic probe into the incident to determine the exact cause of the inferno that claimed life of a woman, besides causing millions of rupees losses to the shopkeepers doing business in the mall, officials initially probing the matter were of the view that electrical short circuiting might have caused the incident.

Engineers report to determine fate of the structure

Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA) has been approached by the district administration for inspection of the site and collection of the evidence.

Meanwhile, Rescue 1122 staff continued a cooling and sweeping operation in the shopping mall that had been sealed.

A senior official said the PFSA team would start site inspection after completion of cooling and sweeping operation.

He added that the government’s buildings department engineers would also inspect the gutted structure to determine its condition and submit a report whether it could be used for business or not.

He said responsibility for the blaze would also be fixed in the initial inquiry report so that such incidents could be avoided in future.

A four-member inquiry committee headed by Gujrat Additional Deputy Commissioner General (ADCG) Tauqeer Ilyas Cheema had earlier been tasked by the Deputy Commissioner Dr Khurram Shahzad to probe into the incident.

Published in Dawn, October 18th, 2019