Civil defence in Kasur in quandary

The local civil defence office is in complete quandary and is not alive to one of its basic objectives of providing fire-fighting training to government workers to meet emergency.
The office has not even installed first-aid boxes at factories, tanneries, industrial units, petrol pumps, oil agencies, private hospitals, schools and colleges in Kasur, Chunian, Kot Radha Kishan and Pattoki.
The civil defence staff is bound to conduct lectures and training programmes to equip workers with the fire-fighting skill. Sources in the department said that the provincial authorities also issued annual schedule to the civil defence office for the purpose.
They said that workshops and lectures were supposed to cover training on fire-fighting, first aid, flood control, bomb disposal, disaster management and warden service for war and emergency and rescue service. Chief Warden Hafiz Muhammad Aslam told Business Recorder that local civil defence employees had no conducted any lecture or workshop for the last several years in the district.
However, he alleged that officials kept making fake entries about the training programmes. He also alleged that the civil defence officer was neither conducting lectures nor informing high ups about the honorarium of volunteers pending for the last several years.
The office had the strength of around 350 volunteers and wardens some six years ago which had now reduced only 50 for the obvious reason, he claimed. A survey shows that some factories, tanneries; industrial units, petrol pumps, hospitals; schools and colleges were not equipped with fire-fighting equipment and the first aid boxes at all. As per law, every big industrial unit and tannery unit must possess a siren system, first aid boxes, fire tender vehicles and a piped system of extinguishing blaze.
Sources alleged that civil defence officials took bribe from those who did not want to install fire-fighting gadgets at their business places. They said that corrupt officials received Rs 1000 from an oil agency holder, Rs 25, 00 from a petrol pump owner, Rs 22, 00 from owners of schools and plazas, Rs 7, 000 from a factory owner after every three month.
Group Warden Haji Muhammad Yousaf had lodged a complaint with the Kasur DCO, levelling allegation of grass irregularities at the Kasur office. However, the DCO did not take any action against the corrupt officials.
ELECTROCUTED Five persons were electrocuted in different parts of the district during the last 24 hours. Sources said it was raining when Khursheed of Jambar Khurd Khuddian suffered an electric shock after touching the shutter of his shop. Faqir Hussain of Basti Chiragh Shah was going home on a bicycle when he slipped and touched an electricity pole. Jamil Ahmad of village Sheikham also suffered an electric shock on touching the shutter of his shop.
Manzooran bibi and Muhammad Akram of Mandi Usman Wala were entering their house when Manzooran touched an electric wire, when her cousin Akram tried to save her he also touched the wire. All the five died on-the-spot.