Bailey Road fire: Govt agencies are more responsible

Since the death of 46 people in a fire at a multi-storey building in the capital’s Bailey road, the government agencies in charge of monitoring have been blaming each other to evade responsibility.

Although cases were filed in one or two incidents, no one has ever been punished.

Issues like negligence of the authorities, mismanagement and lack preparation, surface after every incident of fire.

Urban planners, architects, lawyers and people affiliated with environmental movements alleged this at a press conference on the ‘risks of unplanned building and urban landscape and solutions’ at the National Press Club in the capital on Tuesday.

They argued that the government agencies are more responsible for people’s death in fire. They say if the irregularities ongoing in collusion with the government employees cannot be stopped, then these drives will only lead to a new scope of extortion.

It would not be possible to relocate the chemical warehouses from Puran (Old) Dhaka if this cycle cannot be stopped. And each of the buildings in New Dhaka will turn into a bomb.

Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA), Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP) and Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA) jointly organised the press conference.

The Bailey Road incident has drawn discussions in every quarter on several issues like approval for multi–storey building and fire safety. These issues were also brought up in the parliament.

BAPA vice-president and architect Iqbal Habib presented the keynote at the press conference.

The tendency of urbanisation in Bangladesh is rising along with economic development. At the same time, fire related accidents have turned into disasters nowadays. Bangladesh recorded some 190,167 fire incidents in the last 9 years. Some 1,051 people were killed and 3,606 were injured in these incidents. The main reasons behind the fire incidents are construction of illegal buildings, using illegal lands and lack of monitoring of the agencies in charge.

It was further said in the keynote that clearance certificates from 10 organisations are needed to open a restaurant.

The owners' lack of concern to run restaurants without these clearances and providing these clearances without any verification have led to this situation today.

The concerned government agencies like the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha, city corporations, Fire Service and Civil Defence, Water Supply and Sewerage Authority, Titas, Dhaka Power Distribution Company, law enforcement agencies and building owners are responsible for the fire incidents happening one after another due to the lack of monitoring and the violation of the laws.

It was said in the press conference that in every case of fire incidents, there is evidence of negligence, mismanagement and unpreparedness of the authorities. Analysing at least 9 major incidents of fire and explosions in Dhaka over the last five years, it has been learnt that the agencies in charge of monitoring blames each other to evade responsibility after the incident. Although cases were filed in one or two incidents, no one has ever been punished.

BIP president Adil Mohammed Khan said, “It seems the lives of common people don’t have any value. We get assurance after every incident and the vibe continues for a few days. But, then again another even bigger incident occurs. So we don’t see anything hopeful this time either. Common employees are being arrested. However, no action has been taken against the building owners as they are influential. They are looking for escapegoats from among the employees in the name of conducting drives.”

Adil Mohammed Khan further remarked that every relevant agency has some liabilities behind the fire incidents. Why actions would not be taken against the inspector who was in charge. These sorts of irregularities are not possible without the help of inspection officials. A restaurant owner told the newspersons that he pays a total of Tk 80,000 to different organisations every month as bribes.

Following the Bailey Road fire, the administration, RAJUK and law enforcement agencies are conducting drives at the restaurants in different parts of the city. However, these current drives won’t help ensure fire safety, according to the BELA chief executive Syeda Rizwana Hasan. She joined the press conference virtually and said the RAJUK, city corporations and fire service would raid a building thrice separately from now on. And the building owners will be subjected to extortions each time.

Syeda Rizwana Hasan commented that the country is currently being run on a business model and said if this model continues, the chemical warehouse of Old Dhaka will not be relocated, the buildings of new Dhaka will turn into fireballs. Even the building code, detailed area plan and mega plans are being amended as per the demand of the businesspersons and conglomerates. The administration is now patronising the criminals instead of honest persons.

Syeda Rizwana Hasan said, “Who is responsible for these deaths? The RAJUK, the two city corporations and the fire service will have to bear the responsibility for this. There is no such example that a task force formed in combination of different government agencies to identify the buildings at risk of fires will remain above corruption. This taskforce must include planners, architects and engineers.”

Architect Iqbal Habib termed the ongoing drives as thoughtless. He said fire safety is a technical issue. However, what’s going on now is nothing but a farce. A protocol must be developed with the help of professionals to fix what to be inspected in these drives.

BAPA joint secretary professor Kamruzzaman Mazumdar was one of those who got trapped inside the building on fire at Bailey Road.

Addressing the press conference, he said, “We didn’t realise anything even 10 minutes after the fire broke out. There was no fire alarm.”  

“The residents of this city are survivors, not citizens. It seems, they are waiting for an abnormal death,” he added.

BAPA president professor Nur Mohammad Talukder presided over the press conference. BAPA vice-president and former central bank governor Atiur Rahman, BIP general secretary Sheikh Muhammad Mehedi Ahsan are among others who addressed the press conference. BAPA general secretary Alamgir Kabir conducted the press conference.

The speakers at the press conference also made several recommendations to ensure fire safety. The recommendations include formation of a taskforce to identify the buildings at risk of fire and take proper actions, identifying the buildings with high risk of fire and moderate risk of fire and publish this list on website, making arrangement to show ‘annually renewable usage certificate’ at the entry of the buildings, formation of the building regulatory authority (BRA) to implement the Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC) and ensuring required investments to strengthen the Fire Service and Civil Defence.

Besides, they also recommended bringing consistency between the Fire Prevention and Extinguishing Act 2003 and the Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC). They also highlight the importance of restoration and protection of existing ponds, canals and other water bodies in the city.

Architect Iqbal Habib said RAJUK needs a reform on the basis of good governance, accountability and transparency as well as competent professionals.