It is perturbing to note that despite having a government ban on storing inflammable materials in residential houses, the malpractice of storing of highly inflammable chemicals in old Dhaka is still going on as reported by this daily on Wednesday. Ignoring the government ban, some unscrupulous traders store inflammable chemicals there putting the lives of hundreds of people at severe risk.
Following the Chawkbazar fire incident, a taskforce comprising representatives from Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD), RAB, police and the district administration operated drives through 86 mobile courts at different parts of Dhaka from February 28, 2019.
Chemical warehouses from Old Dhaka should be
relocated immediately to ensure that no tragedies like
Chawkbazar and Nimtoli take place in future.
During the drives, utility services of at least 76 warehouses and factories were severed. Some of those warehouses and factories were also given ultimatum for relocation. But their efforts did not teach the unscrupulous businessmen any lesson.
Chemical warehouses from Old Dhaka should be relocated immediately to ensure that no tragedies like Chawkbazar and Nimtoli take place in future.
But it is also to remember that relocation of the warehouses has to be made in an organized way. Given that there are many departments involved in the import of chemicals, forming a national taskforce on fire safety is the need of the hour.
Earlier, the Nimtoli fire incident too had sparked huge public outcry, demanding the shifting of chemical warehouses and stores from Old Dhaka, but little has been done in the last nine years. Hence, we must take necessary initiatives to hold those responsible persons accountable who did not take any step to relocate the chemical warehouses despite specific directives from government high-ups.