KARACHI: A big fire broke out yesterday morning in the Assembly Hall of the old Sind Assembly building on Bunder Road, burning to cinders a number of costly articles, including benches, chairs, electric fans and wall fixtures. The chairs kept in the right wing of the visitors' gallery were also completely burnt.

Two engines of the Karachi Municipal Fire Brigade worked for about an hour to control the fire which spread from the extreme corner of the right wing, where an amplifier used to be kept. The amplifier too was completely burnt. The cause of the fire is not known, but it is presumed that due to electric short-circuit the fire started from near the amplifier which then spread all over the place.Students of the Institute of Development Economics made efforts to save some of the costly things kept in the hall and succeeded in removing carpets, floorings, speaker's chair and a number of other articles from the hall.

The Hall was built in 1949 for the purpose of Sind Assembly sessions at the cost of about Rs80,000. Later, it was renovated by the central government as it had been the venue of many international meetings of CENTO and SEATO in the past. At present it is being used as a seminar hall by the Institute of Development Economics. The hall is also being used for imparting training to Basic Democrats from urban areas.

Infant business directorsKARACHI: Finance Minister Mohammad Shoaib said here yesterday he had come across instances of three-month-old infants being appointed directors of business concerns. He said the infant-director charged travelling expenses and availed of other benefits granted to company directors by the government.

The minister was replying to a suggestion made by an industrialist for liberalisation of income tax rules in regard to entertainment and transportation expenses incurred by businessmen in connection with their business deals.

Mr Shoaib said that the income tax officers had to look into each and every case of foreign trips made by businessmen to negotiate business deals. “But I know from my experience,” he added, “that some businessmen mostly transact their business at health resorts and other places of pleasure.”