Warehouses not relocated for owners' unwillingness: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said on Saturday it is regretful that chemical warehouses in Old Dhaka could not be relocated for the reluctance of owners, reports UNB.

"The government wanted to construct ultramodern warehouses with all facilities in Keraniganj for preserving chemicals. As the owners were not ready to go there, the project couldn't be implemented'...this is the most regretful matter," she told reporters

after visiting the victims of Chawkbazar fire at the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital in the morning.

After the devastating fire incident at Nimtoli in Old Dhaka, the Prime Minister said, the government had taken project to construct godowns in the Keraniganj area.

"We had prepared a project and selected a place in Keraniganj...we had discussions with all stakeholders to relocate the chemical warehouses from here to the new place so that incidents like Nimtoli one do not occur in Old Dhaka," she said.

But, she regretted, many of the warehouse owners showed reluctance to be shifted to the new place. "It's unfortunate that still there are chemical warehouses in Old Dhaka despite repeated drives against it," she said.