PIAF chief demands early compensation for Hafeez Centre inferno losses

LAHORE:  The Pakistan Industrial and Traders Association Front chairman
Mian Nauman Kabir has expressed his deep concern over the huge financial
losses caused by the Hafeez Center inferno in provincial metropolis, urging the
government to formulate a strategy in consultation with the real stakeholders to
determine the cause of the fire as early as possible, besides compensating
traders for their losses.
In a joint statement with vice chairman Javed Siddiqi, Mian Nauman expressed
his deep sorrow over the loss of property and demanded of the government to
announce full relief for the affected the businessmen.
PIAF leadership said that government should announce compensation for the
businessmen who have suffered huge losses and also urged the private sector to
get fire insurance at the earliest to avoid such unprecedented fatalities in future.
He urged the Federal and Provincial governments to ensure infrastructure
development and installation of fire hydrants at those places of all market
which are inaccessible for fire tenders. He said that despite various fire
incidents in the country in general and Lahore in particular during last one
decade, no concrete measures had been taken.
He said that PIAF has always been standing by the traders and would continue
to raise its voice at every forum and would strongly demand the government to
correct their losses by identifying them. He said that Hafeez Center is an
important and big commercial center of Lahore in which small and big traders
do businesses, it is impossible to recover from the damage caused by this fire.
Mian Nauman Kabir said that although it is the government’s task to put
Hydrants in inaccessible market places but in case of financial constraints at
government level, the private sector should also contribute.
He asked the government to announce compensation for the businessmen who
have suffered huge losses and also urged the private sector to get fire insurance
on their own.
He said that the fire incidents in Lahore have exposed the weaknesses in the
system and there is an urgent need to rectify them on emergent basis.