Utility lines cut off at a building for storing chemicals

Electricity and gas connections of a building that housed a chemical warehouse were cut off at city's Bakshi Bazar area on Saturday noon amid protests by locals, reports UNB.

It was part of a drive launched in the aftermath of the 20 February fire at Chawkbazar that has so far claimed 71 lives.

In the morning, the taskforce formed by Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) to evict chemical warehouses in the Old Dhaka was forced to stop in the face of unrest by locals.

DSCC mayor Sayeed Khokon later joined the drive around 2pm and cut off the utility connections.

Chawkbazar police said a DSCC team found a chemical warehouse at a residential building on Joynag Road in the morning. Locals started agitation when the team tried to disconnect electricity and gas lines, forcing the taskforce to halt the drive.

Representatives of Fire Service and Civil Defence, Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited, Department of Explosives, officer-in-charge of local police station, Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority, and Dhaka Power Distribution Company were present.