‘Gul Plaza management involved in fire tragedy’

He alleged that most of the building's gates were locked, no fire alarm or firefighting system had been installed, and people were unable to find an escape route during the blaze.During the hearing, Arif told the court that he had reached Gul Plaza around midnight and found flames at the building's 13 ground-floor gates, 12 of which, he claimed, were locked.

He said a man was seen clinging to a window on the mezzanine floor and had died.The witness said the fire spread throughout Gul Plaza within half an hour.

He added that a fire had also broken out on the mezzanine floor in 2016, destroying 21 shops, including his office.

An inquiry into that incident had found that Tanveer Pasta had not informed the fire brigade, he claimed.Arif further alleged that although the building had a public-address system, occupants were not alerted.

Videos showed people searching for a way out, but their escape routes were blocked, he said, adding that the electricity had also been switched off.According to the witness, two stairways leading to the roof from the second floor had been blocked, while Tanveer Pasta had established an office in the rooftop area and placed scrap material in front of its entrance.Arif claimed that around Rs10 million was collected every month….

'Gul Plaza management involved in fire tragedy' Our Correspondent | Updated 9 minutes ago | Despite Rs10m monthly collection no fire alarm, firefighting system were installed.

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