KARACHI: The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) has launched a crackdown on petrol pumps over inadequate fire-safety arrangements, sealing several fuel stations across the city and prompting strong protests from petroleum dealers.
The Enforcement and Implementation Department of the KMC sealed multiple fuel stations after inspections found their firefighting and fire-safety arrangements unsatisfactory.
The Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association (PPDA), however, has challenged the action, alleging that KMC issued notices allowing dealers seven days to rectify identified deficiencies, but some stations were sealed just a day after the notices were served.
In a joint video statement, PPDA Chairman Malik Khuda Bakhsh, Vice Chairmen Tariq Hassan and Anwar Kamal, along with other office-bearers, termed the sealing of stations before expiry of the stipulated compliance period unlawful.
The association maintained that dealers should be given reasonable time and a fair opportunity to address shortcomings in firefighting and safety arrangements before any punitive action is taken.
Malik Khuda Bakhsh said the PPDA had submitted a complaint to Karachi Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab, seeking an immediate inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the sealing of fuel stations before the seven-day compliance period had expired.
Vice Chairman Tariq Hassan said the closures had caused serious difficulties for fuel-station owners and demanded the immediate de-sealing of the affected stations.
The dealers’ association urged the municipal authorities to adopt a coordinated approach that ensures compliance with fire-safety standards without disrupting fuel supplies or imposing punitive measures before the expiry of the notified compliance period.
