From Chawkbazar to Gulshan from Keraniganj to Gazipur, the fire incidents in and around Dhaka city seem to be occurring at a regular interval. Previously, in case of Chawkbazar it was callousness of home owners who put the lives of people at risk by giving out flats as warehouses for compressed canisters and chemicals. This time it was the idiosyncrasy of unprofessional factory owners which caused the fire at the fan factory in Gazipur causing the death of ten people and leaving fifteen other injured. But the most astonishing part is just four days prior to the Gulshan fire there was another fire incident at a plastic factory in Keraniganj leaving twenty dead.
The validity of the plastic factory did not come up and hence no such information could be found on this; however, the validity of the Gulshan fan factory did come up. A report published in this daily said that the factory in Gulshan did not have any proper license to operate. Many are speculating that this unauthorised setting up of factories could be the key reason to causing so many fires around the capital. Moreover, according to reports from the fire service around 98 percent buildings in the capital are at risk of fire breaking out in them.
Under such circumstances one cannot help but ask—how many more lives have to be lost for a properly planned city? Does this mean that fire can break out anywhere at any time? Why isn’t proper action being taken by the government?
But, no one considers that this action is not to be taken by the government alone. The people have to come together and think for their own safety. Fire safety protocols have to be made. Both commercial office spaces and residential apartments have to be prepared with proper anti-fire protocols. But protocols are just protocols unless these are followed. Everyone has to be responsible and act responsibly to support the government.
There are so many awards given out to so many companies for being the best at so many things. Why isn’t there any award for the safest home or a best fire safety protocol? These should be encouraged among industrialists too so that no more such cases of fire breakouts in the country.