Traders who owned shops in an Abbot Road plaza that caught fire last Saturday night have demanded compensation from the provincial government and a judicial probe.
Six people were killed in the fire, which also destroyed several shops.
Addressing a press conference, members of the newly-formed Abbot Road Action Committee said that they had lost billions of rupees in the fire, while some families had lost their loved ones. They threatened a sit-in at Chief Minister’s House to press their demands.
Committee head Muhammad Ijaz Mushtaq and members Waqar Ahmed Mian and Muhammad Yaqoob Siddiqui addressed the press conference. Mian is also a member of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s executive body.
He said that the LCCI and other trade organisations would also be engaged in the protest.
Mushtaq said that fire-brigade stations should be set up close to important markets and Lesco should improve the quality of its electricity cables.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 25th, 2013.