HYDERABAD: Sindh Governor Kamran Khan Tessori has said the Paretabad tragedy of May 30 shows that we have not learnt lesson from the past.

He was speaking to the families whose dear ones have lost their lives or received burns in the tragedy. The gathering was held on the premises of Hasrat Mohani Library here on Tuesday.

The governor also distributed cash assistance among each of the 60 families affected by the cylinder blast and fire. Eighteen persons, most of them children, were killed and many more are still fighting for life.

Lawmakers and senior activists of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) also attended the gathering.

Governor Tessori said a disaster had struck these families and it had become a secondary nature question that what had caused the tragedy. He said: “We didn’t learn lesson from the past; minor incidents had been occurring earlier, but now this tragedy has struck us and these families.”

He said he would request the Sindh chief minister and health minister to pay attention to the burns ward of Liaquat University Hospital (LUH) which should be developed at a par with Khairpur’s Gambat Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) and the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) of Karachi.

He said Hyderabad being the second highest tax contributor deserved better facilities. He said that he would personally see how the private sector could also be engaged in establishing a private hospital.

The governor said he could not recall how he felt the pain of a mother whose child with severe burn wounds was lying in her lap as she was looking at him helplessly.

He said he had spoken to Ali Shaikhani, a builder and philanthropist, who pledged Rs2m for each deceased of the tragedy which would be disbursed by June 12. He hoped other philanthropists would also come forward to support the affected families.

The governor said he would try his level best to get these families plots in order to help them make both ends meet and also jobs for those who had lost their lone bread earners.

He said Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui also spoke to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the wake of the May 30 tragedy.

Governor Tessori said it was administration’s responsibility to look into the issue of substandard cylinders and that such outlets should be established outside the city in the industrial areas with required parameters.

Later, addressing the residents of Paretabad at the site of tragedy, he promised that if anyone needed treatment abroad, his expenses would be borne. He said he would make sure that the families who had lost dowry of their girls would be taken care of. If someone had lost employment because of the tragedy, he would be provided some alternative livelihood, he added.

Governor Tessori also visited the newly-established burns ward of Liaquat University Hospital (LUH) and met some survivors. LUH Medical Superintendent Dr Aijaz Abbasi and Director Administration Dr Faheem Memon told him that the burns unit needed monitors and ventilators.

Dr Faheem said the trauma centre scheme of the LUH was pending approval. Out of the 4,200 employees, 2,100 were available and the budget against the 4,200 had lapsed.

Published in Dawn, June 5th, 2024