Govt to set up 7 fire stations in RMG belts, pick 260 inspectors

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Rezaul Karim The government is going to set up seven fire service stations in the industrial belts having ready-made garment (RMG) factories aiming to cope with recurrences of fire incidents, official sources said. Besides, a total of 260 inspectors will be appointed anew under a reform programme of the Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD). "The move has been taken in a bid to get back the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) facilities by improving safety standards in the RMG sector," sources concerned told the FE Sunday. A meeting discussing the developments on the GSP issue was held at the ministry of commerce recently where the decision regarding the fire service stations had been taken. The home ministry will take necessary steps to establish seven fire service stations. It will then send a proposal to the ministry of public administration, a deputy secretary of the commerce ministry said. The ministry of home sources said a proposal on setting up seven fire stations in the garment factory-dominated areas was on its way to get a go-ahead. The fire service and civil defence authorities would get the approval in this regard as soon as possible, and, alongside, would also receive nod to the appointment 260 inspectors, they added. The recent Rana Plaza collapse and blaze at Tazreen Fashions have brought the perennial challenge of workers' safety into focus once again. The government is constitutionally bound to protect the lives of the people, and the owners of the factories have legal and moral duties to ensure safety for the workers, a ministry's sources concerned said. Approximately, 34 major fire incidents at Bangladesh garment factories have resulted in the tragic end of 500 lives since independence. The reasons behind the accidents are bad structure of factory buildings, inadequate numbers of exits, shutting of gates during fires, lack of safety measures, narrow roads obstructing the fire service personnel's operation and lack of rescue equipment. The RMG sector is a vital part of the country's economy. Safety and security for garment workers has long been a burning issue. That's why the safety and security for the sector is a priority that comes first, sources said. Fire broke out on 24 November, 2012, at Tazreen Fashions factory in Asulia on the outskirts of Dhaka. At least 117 people died in the fire, and 200 were injured, making it the deadliest factory blaze in the country's history. The fire was initially presumed to have been caused by an electric short-circuit, sources said. In another factory tragedy, around 1,129 garment workers in the collapse of Rana Plaza at Savar housing a few garment units. Besides, small and big fire incidents at the RMG factories are occurring occasionally, sources said, adding for the sake of the country's economy, the government is determined to contain fire incidents at any garment factory.