The explosion in the Moghbazar area last Sunday showed once again that the lives of the residents of Dhaka are not safe - be it indoors or outdoors. It killed seven people and injured more than 200. Why such deadly explosions have been taking place again and again?
According to a Prothom Alo report, the magnitude of the blast was so severe that part of a three-storey building collapsed, damaging dozens of adjoining buildings. Several people were injured when the glass of several buses standing on the road damaged. The windows of many buildings, including Aarong on the other side of the road, were shattered.
The ground floor of the three-storey building where the blast took place had a restaurant called 'Shwarma House' and a chiller room for Bengal Meat (where powerful compressors are used to cool the meat). Witnesses said the explosion may have taken place from the gas line of the restaurant or the chiller room of Bengal Meat. Brigadier general Sajjad Hossain, director general of the fire service, said they initially thought the incident was caused by a gas explosion.
A probe committee has been formed by the Fire Service and Civil Defence to find out the cause of the blast. Apart from this, a separate investigation committee has also been formed from the police department. After visiting the scene, inspector general of police Benazir Ahmed said, "We want such incidents not to happen again."
This is not only his expectation. Every person in the country wants such a deadly explosion not to happen ever again. Only the victims know how such accidents can bring dire consequences for individuals and families. A man lost his wife and only daughter in the accident. The man was crying saying, "I'm finished, there's nothing left."
There is no account of how many families have been killed in gas explosions in different places including Dhaka, Narayanganj and Chattogram in the last few years. A gas explosion at a mosque in Narayanganj last September killed 40 people. Earlier, there were casualties in a gas explosion in Chattogram. But were these incidents properly investigated? Despite the investigation, no action has been taken against anyone. There are two types of investigations in our country. One is to identify the culprits by unravelling the mystery of the incident. Another is to hide those responsible.
We hope that the investigation committee formed in the incident of Moghbazar blast will be able to find out the real reason. However, even if the correct information sees the light, it will not be of use unless the authorities take the necessary steps and those responsible are punished. Starting from the gas transmission line, the junction must be completely seamless and secure. But we note with concern that many use low-cost pipes and cylinders in homes and commercial buildings. The lines are not well-maintained. There are only six test centres for 4 million gas cylinders. What is the reason of such indifference? How many lives it would take to open our eyes?