By BR Web Desk

A Karachi court has granted bail to the suspects in the Korangi Mehran Town factory fire case, Aaj News reported on Monday.

The court has accepted the bail petitions of factory owner Hassan Mehta, its manager Syed Imran Ali Zaidi, building owner Tariq Faisal, supervisors Zafar Ali and Farrukh Ahmed, and a watchman in the case.

The court has directed the suspects to submit surety bonds worth Rs100,000 each. During the hearing today, the court was informed that the factory owner will pay Rs4.2 million, to the families.

The court was informed that the first check of Rs 1 million has already been paid to the family.

In August, at least 17 labourers, including five belonging to one family, died after a chemical factory in Karachi's Korangi area caught fire.

Investigation revealed that more than 20 labourers were inside the compound when a highly flammable chemical caught fire which spread to the entire building.

The police found that factory owner Mehta holds dual nationality of Pakistan and the United Kingdom. The report transpired that the 600-yard plot on which the factory was built was allotted to a man named Faisal.

The factory was operational on a plot listed as a residential site. Besides, as reported by the labour department and the SECP, the factory was not registered with either of the two authorities nor were its workers and employees provided any training.

Mehta had rented the premises for Rs300,000 per month from Faisal, it stated.

It said that the building had a single entry and exit point and there was no emergency exit. When the fire broke out, workers trapped inside the factory ran up to the roof to save themselves but found the gate at the stairs locked.

This article was first published in Business Recorder on Nov 22, 2021.