Members’ coldness chills PAC meeting over fire

LAHORE – Without giving a deadline, the Punjab Public Accounts Committee (PAC-1) has directed the provincial secretary industries to shift all the factories and industrial units out of the City limits. The PAC-1 held a meeting over a serious issue without preparation, as the committee chairman has no information about the number of industrial units working inside the City besides other details. Out of total 13 members of the committee, only three including chairman Ch Zaheeruddin attended the meeting to take up the issue, which directly concerns the human lives. The PAC-1 meeting held on Thursday to review the audit paras of industries department, which was presided over by its chairman, while the committee members who attended the meeting include Major (r) Rana Abdul Rehman and Syed Nazim Hussain Shah. The PAC-1 also directed the industries department for making arrangements to establish zones for medium and small industries at provincial capital’s outskirts and a report should be dispatched to the chief minister if legislation was required to accomplish the task. Meanwhile, Zaheer who is also parliamentary leader of PML-Q, submitted a condemnation resolution in the provincial assembly against the sacrilegious movie released on internet to hurt the religious sentiments of the Muslims. He demanded of the government through the resolution to take up this serious issue in the United Nations in a bid to come up with an international law to halt the actions, which becomes source of hurting the religious sentiments. He further demanded that Pakistan government should register protest to the US administration against the blasphemous actions of pastor Terry Jones.On Tuesday,  25 peopel were killed at an illegal shoe-making factory on  Bund Road. As the fire erupted near to the entry point of the Lahore factory, it became impossible for the workers to get out of the burning building. Most of the dead were local children, who had been working in the factory as daily wagers. The factory owner and his son were also among the dead. Residents said the two-storey factoryhad only one entry-and-exit point. 

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