When the headlines spoke about all the big bluster after the disaster, it couldn’t have described better the sudden competition of those in power to display their authority after the devastating fire in Bailey Road that snatched the lives of 46 persons. It is the responsibility of the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) to check for any flaws in the building designs in the capital and also to check for what purposes these buildings are being used. But it is the police now who are active in locking down buildings for running restaurants without approval and for the lack of fire safety and for arresting those reportedly violating the rules. And it is not as if they are doing this under RAJUK supervision.
RAJUK is also carrying out a separate drive. The city corporation is conducting a parallel drive too. It is not known if these three authorities have carried out any such operations in the five years since the fire at FR Tower in Banani in 2019, where 27 people were killed. RAJUK inspectors may have carried out a few drives here and there. But that was nothing like the present flurry of activity. Yet over these past five years, the number of restaurants in the capital has probably doubled. And other than the restaurants in the conventional sense, many buildings have kitchens to cater to various events.
Post-Covid, the restaurant business in Dhaka, particularly catering to the upper and upper middle classes, saw a dramatic boom. Restaurants served cholesterol-packed meals, seeming to compete with the spiraling rate of heart ailments. And while there is no alternative to vertical expansion in the growth of the metropolis, where else will restaurants open other than in the high-rises? This is akin to the exponential expansion of black markets and profit mongering when supply can’t keep up with demand. Taking advantage of this growing demand, the building owners unlawfully allow commercial kitchens to be opened in residential and office buildings. These irregularities have been taking place in the open, but no one felt the need to apply the law and take action.
The police haven’t been known to conduct any drive to check the safety of buildings anywhere in the country. Many persons with degrees in engineering have joined the police force, but it can’t be said that all of them are experts in building construction. So what is the basis of their present drive? From the number of arrests being made for violation of building construction rules, it seems that those hapless persons who were working in these establishments to eke out a living, have been arrested. According to Prothom Alo reports, the police presented around 1,050 persons in court in the three days of Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
The building owners were not arrested. Most of the restaurant owners are in hiding. So the blame falls on those unfortunate blighters who risk their lives to cook and serve the restaurant guests. Even if they informed the owners of the precarious state of these establishments, would their words have been heeded? Can the garment workers be held responsible for the fire in the garment factories? So why are the cooks and other staff being harassed?
If the opposition in parliament is a part of the government, or if their being elected depends on the mercy of the government, then why will those in power feel the need to be accountable to anyone?
In this process of the lower income country graduating to a mid-income country, it’s become the trend to term cooks as ‘chefs’. It’s not surprising that the building owners, businessmen, and government officials with that added income, scramble to get a slice of that increased average income in this economic surge. And so, all anomalies are now norms, until some massive mishap happens. Those who have had to run round in circles pursuing their files in RAJUK, know only too well how things work.
Now that the accident has occurred in restaurants, restaurants are being raided. But will the flaws in the commercial buildings be fixed? The manner in which pristine buildings are completely enclosed in sturdy glass due to the air-conditioning system, it is difficult for people to escape in the advent of any accident. In many cases, similar questions can be raised about multi-storey residential buildings.
Some say that 90 per cent of the capital's buildings are unsafe. Is there no drive to render these safe? Or will it take another incident like the FR Tower fire for people to wake up and for the authorities to start displaying their power again?
Prothom Alo reported that the government task force had declared a number of popular and old shopping centres in the city as high risk buildings. While the task force had identified these shopping centres a year ago after the fire at New Super Market, none of these buildings have been fixed. After the Bangabazar fire too, there was discussion and debate for a few days, but that fizzled out too. At the time there had been a lot of talk about increasing emergency water sources to extinguish fires, but till now WASA has set up no fire hydrant in any locality or street.
Two days ago, a headline in Samakal compared each RAJUK inspector to a "jamai" (favoured son-in-law), reporting on specific instances of corruption in inspecting a dozen or so buildings. The report revealed further shocking news about an inspector whose corruption in the FR Tower fire incident was proven in government investigations. Not only was he granted impunity, but was also promoted and made chief inspector at RAJUK. SM Rezaul Karim, who had been the public works minister during the time of that tragic incident, last Sunday said, "We carried out an inquiry and drew up a report against 62 persons. Unfortunately, even though the report was submitted to a committee of the highest level, cases weren't filed against everyone. Then again, when the charge sheet was submitted, several more names were dropped. That is not all. Till today, the charges in that case have not been drawn up."
The year after that, SM Rezaul Karim was transferred to a different ministry, but there still is no answer to his question as to how the accused persons were granted impunity. He also said that at that time they had identified another 1300 buildings of which most of the floors were faulty, but it hadn't been possible to demolish those buildings. He said this was a sort of impunity that had been granted. When politicians can understand the matter of impunity and admit it, then the liability should fall on their shoulders. But we never hear anyone apologising for such grievous failures, let alone resigning.
After every such incident, the civil society becomes vocal and there are all sorts of recommendations and demands. This time was no exception either. But this does not elicit accountability from the authorities. This will not happen without an effective system of accountability in political institutions within a democratic framework. If the opposition in parliament is a part of the government, or if their being elected depends on the mercy of the government, then why will those in power feel the need to be accountable to anyone?
With the pressure created on the law enforcement agencies and the court to suppress and repress the political opponents, the trial of the offenders who violate the building construction code is hardly likely to be given priority. There is already ample evidence that the drive to arrest political leaders and activists as well as to have the court functioning way into the night, is much more important to the government.
* Kamal Ahmed is a senior journalist
* This column appeared in the print and online edition of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten for the English edition by Ayesha Kabir