8 fires, 2,199 stalls destroyed, nearly Rs61 crore...

Summary

• Islamabad: Nearly Rs61 crore in estimated financial losses, 2,199 affected stalls and eight fire incidents have exposed serious safety and management failures at Islamabad’s weekly bazaars, with an official inquiry pointing to overnight storage of goods, illegal subletting of stalls, weak fire safety arrangements and poor emergency preparedness.
• The most shocking incident occurred at H9 Weekly Bazaar on July 10, 2024, when a major fire destroyed or damaged 625 stalls and caused an estimated loss of Rs28 crore.
• According to the official reply, eight fire incidents occurred between 2017 and June 2026, affecting a total of 2,199 stalls and causing estimated financial losses of approximately Rs59.75 crore to Rs60.75 crore.

AI Generated Summary

Islamabad: Nearly Rs61 crore in estimated financial losses, 2,199 affected stalls and eight fire incidents have exposed serious safety and management failures at Islamabad’s weekly bazaars, with an official inquiry pointing to overnight storage of goods, illegal subletting of stalls, weak fire safety arrangements and poor emergency preparedness.

The most shocking incident occurred at H9 Weekly Bazaar on July 10, 2024, when a major fire destroyed or damaged 625 stalls and caused an estimated loss of Rs28 crore. The inquiry report found that the fire spread rapidly because of highly combustible goods stored inside the stalls, plastic tarpaulin sheets covering structures and other unsafe conditions.

The findings raise serious questions about the role of the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) and the authorities responsible for managing the bazaar. Despite repeated fires over the years, the inquiry found that important safety measures were still missing or not properly enforced.

The details were submitted to the Senate in response to Starred Question No. 15 moved by Senator Jan Muhammad. The question sought information about fires at H9 Weekly Bazaar over the last ten years, the financial losses suffered by traders, compensation paid to affected stallholders, investigations conducted and steps taken to prevent further incidents.

According to the official reply, eight fire incidents occurred between 2017 and June 2026, affecting a total of 2,199 stalls and causing estimated financial losses of approximately Rs59.75 crore to Rs60.75 crore.

The records show that the August 23, 2017 fire affected 611 stalls and caused an estimated loss of Rs22 crore. On July 18, 2018, another fire affected 100 stalls and caused losses of Rs3 crore.

Two fires were reported in October 2019. The first, on October 15, affected 26 stalls and caused losses of Rs40 lakh. The second, on October 29, affected 302 stalls, with an estimated loss of Rs15 lakh.

A fire on April 30, 2022 affected 22 stalls and caused an estimated loss of Rs50 lakh, while another incident on December 7, 2022 affected 133 stalls and caused losses of Rs70 lakh.

The July 10, 2024 fire was the most damaging incident in the list, affecting 625 stalls and causing an estimated loss of Rs28 crore. The latest incident listed in the reply occurred on June 23, 2026, when 380 stalls were affected and losses were estimated at Rs5 crore to Rs6 crore.