KASUR: A man was burnt alive while three others were injured when an illegal mini-petrol pump near Toll Tax Chowk caught fire in Kot Radha Kishan.
Late on Thursday night, the illegal filling station near Toll Tax Chowk caught fire due to a short circuit. The fire engulfed the entire shop in no time, burning a man alive. The deceased was identified as Shoaib. The injured persons were shopkeepers Arslan and Adeel, and a customer, Shan. They were shifted to the THQ Hospital, Kot Radha Kishan, where doctors referred them to Lahore.
The incident proved a wake-up call for the district administration as Deputy Commissioner Arshad Bhatti constituted teams to eliminate illegal filling pumps in the district. The assistant commissioners concerned are heading these teams.
The DC ordered a crackdown on all such illegal installations in all four tehsils Chunian, Pattoki, Kasur and Kot Radha Kishan.
The administration claimed to have arrested over a dozen people who owned illegal filling stations and sealed their shops.
Over 60 mini-petrol pumps have been working in the district for many years, mostly near the police stations. The illegal activities in most of the cases are supervised by local influential people.
Interestingly, there is no fire brigade in Kot Radha Kishan tehsil to deal with fire incidents.
Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2023
