Commissioner Karachi reviews progress of Fire Safety Audit for buildings

KARACHI, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st May, 2026) Commissioner Karachi Syed Hassan Naqvi chaired a meeting of senior officials from the stakeholder departments to review the progress of the Fire Safety Audit for the required buildings.

The Commissioner Karachi chairing a meeting decided to expand the scope of the survey of commercial buildings, shopping centers, and large public buildings.

He said that the relevant departments should play an active role and ensure that the fire safety audit is completed as soon as possible to prevent fire incidents and make rescue arrangements more effective.

The Sub-Divisional Fire Safety Audit Committees, constituted under the supervision of Assistant Commissioners and established by Chief Secretary Sindh Syed Asif Hyder, have continued their survey of commercial buildings, shopping centers, and large public buildings.

Important decisions were made to ensure that all commercial buildings and shopping centers implement the required safety measures and SOPs.

According to the details, 800 buildings have been surveyed so far. Notices have been issued to those that have not implemented the safety SOPs, warning them to fulfill the requirements and ensure that safety measures are properly in place as per the SOPs.

In this connection, the meeting decided to develop a mobile app containing information and details of fire safety measures in commercial buildings, shopping centers, and large public buildings in Karachi.

All departments involved in disaster management and fire safety will be integrated into the app.In case of an emergency or fire, the relevant rescue agencies will be able to access details of the safety arrangements and facilities on the dashboard to support rescue operations. The dashboard will enable all departments to coordinate and respond immediately in a centralized manner.

The meeting was attended among others by all Deputy Commissioners, Assistant Commissioners, Municipal Commissioners of all towns (via video link), ABAD Chairman Muhammad Hassan Bakhshi, Assistant Commissioner Revenue Sajjad Abro, Assistant Commissioner Headquarters Rabia Syed, Provincial Disaster Management Authority System Analyst Diyal Das Rathore, Chief Fire Officer Muhammad Humayun, and officers from 1122, Civil Defence, and Cantonment Boards.

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PDMA System Analyst Diyal Das Rathore briefed the commissioner about the progress of the survey. He said that fire safety audit survey committees headed by Assistant Commissioners are carrying out the survey work. So far, the survey details from the committees have been uploaded to the Fire Safety Audit Portal.

He added that fire safety audits of more than 800 commercial buildings have been conducted. The survey includes details of safety measures in the buildings provided . These details include information on required fire safety and disaster response arrangements. Notices have been issued to buildings that do not meet safety requirements, and they have been asked to fulfill the remaining safety requirements as soon as possible.

Participants in the meeting also reviewed adding the remaining necessary information to further improve the portal, so that it can assist in firefighting efforts to deal with emergencies and control fires. The information from this survey can be used by relevant agencies to carry out immediate rescue operations in case of fire or natural disasters.

The Commissioner said that the work on the safety audit survey should be expedited. It was decided that KMC Chief Fire Officer, Rescue 122, Civil Defence, and the Sindh Building Control Authority will assist with the survey work and identify buildings that need to be prioritized for inclusion in the survey. Civil Defence was directed to identify and provide a list of high-risk buildings where safety requirements have not been met.

The meeting was informed that fire safety audit surveys of more than 800 large shopping malls have been conducted on the portal so far.