The Directorate of Municipal Administration (DMA) has decided to keep the weekly bazaars in H-9 and G-6 closed on Friday. The bazaars will remain shut until, in the department's words, “100pc foolproof measures” are in place and the Capital Emergency Services of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) grant fire prevention clearance. The decision was set out in a notification from the DMA.
What the notification says
The notification was issued by Director DMA Mohammad Tariq Latif. It asks the Director General (Emergency Services) of the CDA to direct his subordinate staff to check whether suitable prevention measures have been arranged at both bazaar sites. The DMA said it was optimistic of an early response on the matter. The notification does not say when those checks will be completed.
A recurring fire problem at H-9
The H-9 weekly bazaar, popularly known as the Sunday Bazaar or Itwar Bazaar, has seen fires with alarming frequency over the years. Those incidents have raised repeated concerns about safety standards, electrical wiring and firefighting preparedness. The last such incident was a massive fire in Block C, which mostly houses shoe stalls, that spread rapidly and prompted a large-scale emergency response.
Reporting on the notification says this was the fifth fire at the weekly bazaar since 2017. The available coverage places the Block C fire in June but does not give the year, and it does not describe any later incident at either bazaar.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- Since 2017: five fires have been recorded at the H-9 weekly bazaar, according to the reporting.
- June (year not stated): a massive fire breaks out in Block C of the H-9 bazaar, mostly shoe stalls, and spreads rapidly.
- Latest step: the DMA keeps the H-9 and G-6 weekly bazaars closed on Friday until CDA fire clearance is granted.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Islamabad ke H-9 aur G-6 ke hafta-war bazaar jumay ko band rahenge. Yeh faislah aag se bachao ke intezamat mukammal honay tak liya gaya hai. Bazaar tabhi khulenge jab CDA ki emergency services fire prevention clearance de degi. Agar aap in bazaaron se kharidari karte hain, to jumay ko jaane se pehle taaza khabar zaroor dekh lein.
