Lack of govt’s political will causing repeated fires in old Dhaka: TIB

Even after tragic fires in Nimtali and Churihatta, it was not possible to remove the chemical warehouse from old Dhaka due to lack of the government's political will, alleged the Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB).

The TIB also alleged that warehouses of chemical and combustible materials, factories and businesses have been set up in residential areas illegally through collusion and irregularities of some vested quarters.

The agency further said 11 years have passed since the Nimtali tragedy, but due to lack of coordination and accountability of the concerned agencies, most of the recommendations of the inquiry committee and task force formed over the incident have not been implemented and it was not possible to bring those responsible for the Nimtali and Churihatta fires to justice. This in turn caused the tragic fire in Armanitola.

TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman said in a statement on Sunday, "As soon as an incident occurs, many committees are formed to investigate the cause. The same has happened in the case of Armanitola fire, but how much work will be done? Why the chemical warehouses could not be removed even after 11 years of the Nimtali tragedy in old Dhaka? Why not a permanent chemical village was set up? How such risky businesses are going on even after the providing licenses for them has stopped? All such questions have come to the fore again."

"But we are even afraid to hope to get answers to these questions, because even after the horrific fires in Nimtali and Churihatta, the location selected for transferring the chemical warehouses has been changed four times. This is not only the ultimate example of the lack of planning and irresponsibility of the responsible state agencies, but also the cause of loss of lives, which can in no way be desirable," said Dr Iftekharuzzaman.

"Therefore, the individuals and organisations responsible for the delay in implementing the recommendations of the investigation committee and the task force formed over the Nimtali incident should be held accountable on an urgent basis," he added.

In the statement, the TIB executive director mentioned that after the Nimtali fire, the High Court ordered people and agencies concerned to show the reasons why the chemical warehouses in old Dhaka should not be removed, but the government has not submitted any reply to the court for 11 long years.

Dr Iftekharuzzaman said, "The government and the concerned institutions have not complied with their own decisions and instructions and have also committed contempt of court. The police reports in the cases filed over these incidents are also pending. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the political will of the government was completely absent as it failed to remove the chemical warehouses from old Dhaka and free the whole area from ​​the risk of fire."

At the same time, no progress has been made in building the necessary infrastructure in old Dhaka for rapid firefighting. On the contrary, due to lack of coordination between various departments and agencies, some quarters have set up an unscrupulous system to sustain illegal warehouses, factories and businesses of chemical and combustible substances in residential areas through irregularities and corruption, said Dr Iftekharuzzaman.

The TIB demanded adequate compensation and rehabilitation of families affected by the fires at Nimtali, Churihatta and Armanitola. IT also demanded that the government identify risky and illegal factories, close them down, relocate them, and prohibit chemical trade in residential areas.

It also demanded speedy implementation of the temporary warehouse project and permanent chemical village project by the government and compulsory relocation of all chemical businesses.