CRCP holds round-table conference
Would another manmade disaster invoke our consciousness?: Speakers
Attribute lack of disaster preparedness, education, improper planning for slow rescue missions - Hold CDA responsible for Margalla Towers' collapse - Term the incident a manmade disaster - Demand thorough probe, verdict against accused - Call for Independent Inquiry Judicial Commission for the issue - Fear other high-rise buildings of Capital, could be next - Urge for collaborative relief efforts of govt, NGOs and civil society - Join hands in raising awareness, disseminating knowledge of such disasters
By Uzma Zafar


ISLAMABAD—CDA had been playing havoc with masses' lives and stepping on the sentiments of the residents of the Capital, dancing on the tunes of few elites, ever since it's Chairman; Kamran Lashari took over on 7th September 2005. Various useless steps like planting of date trees at an area which's temperature was never suited for the deal, and later removing them under fruitless results, barbaric anti-encroachment drives, installation of fancy fountains here and there while the city remained under dearth of water as well as unthinkable deforestation drives had been initiated under the cover of city's beautification drive, have been initiated. Lashari has been attempting to paint the city not in par with masses' dreams but in fact as if it's his own secluded drawing room which has ruined the belief of citizens in the CDA authorities.
However, with the Margalla Towers' collapse and the ongoing revelations to follow, the masses have totally lost their grips and in fact gone haywire with agony, blaming CDA for the murder of innocent lives. Thus, in order to console with their agony while formulating ways and means to deal with the crisis, Consumer Rights' Commission of Pakistan; CRCP, held a round-table conference, inviting the most practical of the lot for discussion, including media representatives, practicing lawyers, photographers and photojournalists, as well as CDA officials, which of course did not show face, to analyze the issue from various viewpoints, which kicked off with prayers for victims of the worst quake, ever experienced in the Capital and Pakistan at large.
Speaking at the occasion, speakers belonging to various thought groups attributed the slow pace of successive relief operations in the quake-hit areas to lack of disaster preparedness, illiteracy about First Aid among the local rescuers and improper low term planning to meet any natural disasters let alone manmade ones as in Margalla Towers' collapse fiasco. They pointed out the fact that only CDA buildings like hospitals, schools and towers of the twin cities were collapsed as an impact of the earthquake while the rest of the structures remained affixed in place, which strongly spoke of the human factor involved in corruption and use of substandard building material, in the demarcated buildings. And as CDA is responsible for spread of material around, so the hand of CDA in the issue, they expressed, could not be excluded from the equation.
"'Would another manmade disaster invoke our consciousness so as to formulate a long term prevention strategy?', 'Till how long do we intend to rely on short term goals?'", demanded the speakers. Moreover, they termed an integrated plan must for disaster preparedness and prevention from future manmade destructions. CDA came under fire during the discussion, at various levels, with regard to violation of building bylaws right under it's nose as in Margalla Towers, non-issuance of the very building's plan, even to the media, the denial Clearance Certificate needed to lease out apartments in the Towers for residential area and yet any such procedure going on unchecked by the authority concerned because of then CDA Chairman Shafi Sehwani and building owner residing abroad who is also by the way, an ex-CDA official; Khokhar and of course the substandard material used in the Towers' deal. The speakers said that it was thanks to CDA that the Capital has now been declared an active zone instead of previously known as moderate zone.
The furious speakers demanded of the government to catch the accused of CDA in the incident and bring them to book at every cost. They thus demanded an Independent Inquiry Judicial Commission to thoroughly probe the matter. They expressed their fear over the fact that till now, the CDA officials have not issued any list of buildings declared dangerous due to forged construction material or ones that received severe cracks due to quake jolts. They said that though the two adjoining towers of the destructed have been cleared as safe residents, but various high-rise buildings of the Capital, along them, should be checked again, which are on the verge of falling anyway, and thus are, by no means safe. They stated that the Capital was never fit for high-rise buildings, as far it's basic plan that was also expired way back, thus urging for a new masterplan of the city by some expert architect, in this regard.
Speakers expressed the need for collaborative efforts between government, NGOs and civil society, instead of separate endeavours, for fruitful results while promising their full support in the relief efforts and case study of the Margalla Towers' tragedy.