LAHORE: The Punjab government is set to provide a relief package worth Rs2 billion for the victims of the fire incident at the Hafeez Centre electronics market.
The Commissioner’s Office has sent a report on the damage caused by the fire to Chief Minister Usman Buzdar. According to the report, the total damage to the electronic market is estimated at Rs2 billion. A working paper has been prepared to give alternate shops to affectees
The Punjab government will provide the financing facility from Bank of Punjab to the victims. Soft loans will be given at 5 percent markup under the Punjab Chief Minister’s Rozgar Scheme and the provincial government will provide eight percent subsidy.
Around 135 shops have been identified and owners have been offered the loans on easy terms of five to eight years. Shop owners can get a replacement shop immediately if required, while the affected shops will also remain the property of the original owners.
A microfinance facility will be provided to the victims for the purchase of new goods. Both groups of Hafeez Centre traders associations have been taken on board in relief package which will be announced by either Prime Minister Imran Khan or the chief minister.
The plaza has now been closed for the past 10 days after the Lahore Police and district administration declared it dangerous for business and other uses
On October 20, the plaza was sealed on the recommendations of a 14-member committee formed by the Punjab government to conduct a preliminary investigation into the horrific fire at the Hafeez Center on Sunday.
The decision was taken after the committee including Lahore Police, district government and Rescue 1122 experts who had inspected the plaza and noticed small and large cracks in the multi-storey building due to the severity of the fire.
The findings also revealed that the Civil Defense Lahore(CDL) district office had reported nine violations to the Hafeez Center Market Association (HCMA) on August 18 whereas the plaza’s association had also ignored warnings regarding the malfunctioning fire extinguishers.
A few armed personnel of Lahore Police have been deployed around the plaza to prevent shopkeepers and other passers-by from entering so that no further accidents take place. Initial reports stated that the fire was caused by a short circuit in six-storey plaza with 904 shops.
