Compensation still a far cry for fire victims
Some 150 establishments around the Seema Oxygen Plant were damaged in the Saturday blast that claimed at least six lives
Nizam Uddin (55) built a house a year ago in Keshabpur area of Sitakunda with all his life savings. The house, made of tin and iron angles, was destroyed in the explosion of Seema Oxygen Plant. The blast blew away the tins and ruined all the furniture in the house.
Nizam depended on the monthly earning of Tk7,000, he used to get by renting out two rooms of the house, to support his family of five including three children.
He used to work as a fireman in a steel factory named Super Steel in that area but has been unemployed recently.
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"It will take over Tk1 lakh to repair the house that was destroyed by the blast. Who is going to compensate us?" he asked.
In the Sunday afternoon blast at the Seema Oxygen Plant in Sitakunda, more than 150 establishments, including houses, factories and stores, were ruined in the one kilometre radius of the plant.
So far, the fire claimed 6 lives and some 33 have been rescued with injuries. People living in almost every house within the one kilometre radius sustained injuries by iron pieces that blasted out in all directions following the explosion.
Most victims, like Nizam Uddin, asked the same question – who will pay for the damages?
On 4 June last year, a similar explosion at the BM Container Depot of Sitakunda claimed 51 lives and left some 200 injured.
According to the information of Sonaichari Union Parishad, around 200 houses, religious, educational institutions, shops and other establishments around the BM depot were damaged in the blast. After determining the extent of damages at approximately Tk75 lakh, the district administration was informed.
However, Sonaichari Union Parishad Chairman Monir Ahmed told TBS that the BM Depot authority has so far paid about Tk25 lakh for compensation to the locals through the district administration.
The locals who suffered damages in the BM depot accident also said that the compensation they received was not enough to cover the damage they suffered in the accident.
The affected families hardly ever get proper compensation, they said.
One of the victims, Noor Naushad, said he had to spend Tk30,000 to fix his house, located to the north of the depot while he received only Tk10,000 as compensation.
BM Container Depot Executive Director Captain Mainul told The Business Standard that around Tk18 crore has been given as compensation to the families of those killed and injured and the individuals and institutions affected by the BM Depot accident.
Regarding the local residents not getting the amount equivalent to the actual loss, he said, they paid out compensation as per the list of the district administration.
Sonaichari Union Parishad Chairman Monir Ahmed told TBS that in the case of BM Depot, they did not get the amount they sought as per the list of victims.
"Work is underway to assess the damage caused by the accident at the Seema Oxygen Plant. We believe that at least 150 houses, shops, factories and structures have been damaged in this accident," he said.
Taj Villa, a newly constructed two-storied building located on the eastern side of the Seema Oxygen Plant, was also damaged in the blast and Tofazzal Hossain, the caretaker of the building, sustained injuries.
Sajjad Hossain, son of Zainal Abedin, the owner of that house, told TBS that all the members of the family were in Chattogram to attend a family function.
"When I got the news of the accident, I came home and found that every room had broken doors and windows. Various furniture of the house has been destroyed. The losses can be estimated to be at least Tk3 lakh," he said, asking, "Who will we pay for this compensation?"
He asked how the permission to operate an oxygen plant factory in a densely populated area was given in the first place.
Chattogram Deputy Commissioner Abul Basar Mohammad Fakhruzzaman said that a meeting will be held at the Chattogram Circuit House on Monday with various stakeholders on the Seema Oxygen Plant accident.
"There will be a discussion to assess the extent of damages to the structures around the accident site. Damages will be assessed and compensation will be provided," he said.
