Blaze-hit Bailey Road building had no fire exit: PM Hasina

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday said there was no fire exit in the multi-storied building that caught fire on Bailey Road, leaving dozens of people dead.

"The fire that broke out in Bailey Road, that is a multi-storied building, but there was no fire exit," she said.

The prime minister said this while addressing a programme marking 'National Insurance Day-2024' at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center in the capital on Friday, jointly organised by the Ministry of Finance and the Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority (IDRA) at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) aiming to promote the idea of insurance by enhancing public awareness.

She urged all to follow the rules and regulations while constructing any building.

"We always request our architects, at least when they design houses or buildings, keep a small open balcony, a fire exit or a ventilation. But architects who want to build (buildings) will not design that properly and also the owners do not want to leave an inch of space," she said.

Hasina said that 45 people died in the Bailey Road fire incident.

"What could be more painful than this," she said.

However, the prime minister said that the government has repeatedly instructed to install fire extinguishers and take fire safety measures in all buildings, but that is hardly followed.

"And I know there was no insurance, so they (victims in the Bailey Road fire incident) won't get anything (as compensation). Awareness is very much needed in these cases," she said.

The prime minister asked all concerned to take prompt measures to meet the insurance claims at the quickest possible time to encourage people to come under insurance coverage.

"Take measures as the insurance claims of the real people can be paid correctly and quickly," she said.

She, however, asked the authorities to be watchful about false insurance demands referring to some ready-made garment factories' fraudulence act of causing fire deliberately time and again for claiming false insurance money.

She briefly described her government's measures for the overall development of the insurance sector.

She said that her government has been implementing the Bangladesh Insurance Sector Development Project.

"Once the project is implemented, professionalism and efficiency in technology in this sector will be flourished further," she said.

The Prime Minister also inaugurated the bank insurance service that facilitates providing a premium of insurance from the banks directly.

She thanked all concerned for making the insurance process involving banks much easier to this end, which can benefit both the banks and insurers.

After introducing the process, people can give their insurance premiums through their bank accounts.

The prime minister asked the authorities concerned to settle the people's insurance claims through the banking channel.