The Bailey Road fire that killed 46 people and injured several dozen on Thursday night has prompted public agencies and law enforcers to raise several questions.
These include whether the Bailey Road building complied with the building code and whether it had adequate fire safety measures. In light of previous fire incidents and fatalities, they also questioned whether a sense of acceptance has developed over time.
Authorities, meanwhile, said many answers will only be available once the ongoing investigation is completed.
After visiting the site on Friday, Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh said that building codes were being extensively violated in the capital.
"Building plans are being approved through various channels, but these plans often fail to adhere to the building code," he told the media. "Moreover, even in cases where plans are approved, violations occur during construction."
"The only consistent answer we get after these incidents is that building codes are being grossly violated," he added.
The mayor placed responsibility for building safety on engineers, architects and building owners.
"Monitoring has been inadequate," he said. "Therefore, we at Dhaka south have proposed that if our approval becomes mandatory for obtaining construction permits, we are prepared to conduct inspections. Unlike other departments, we are accountable to the public."
He said that buildings exceeding five floors are required to have two staircases. The Bailey Road building, however, had only one.
While responding to questions at the site, Md Abdullah Al Masud Chowdhury, secretary of the Public Security Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs, said a fire safety notice had previously been sent to Green Cozy Cottage Shopping Mall on Bailey Road.
"The loss of life in this fire is unacceptable," he said. "Such tragedies cannot be tolerated. The building only had one staircase, and thick smoke caused many people to lose consciousness."
"An investigation committee has been formed to determine whether there was any negligence on anyone's part," he added. "The investigation will determine if the building had a fire safety plan and was properly authorised by relevant departments."
When questioned about unauthorised restaurants and shops in the building, which were only permitted for office use, Mr Chowdhury said, "We focus on fire safety plans. Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha may be better suited to answer questions about shop and restaurant permits. However, we will also investigate this matter."
In response to another question, he said that the initial assumption is that the fire originated from a gas cylinder explosion on the lower floor of the building.
Meanwhile, Dr Kamal Uddin Ahmed, chairman of the National Human Rights Commission Bangladesh, pointed out the lack of concrete action following previous fire tragedies.
"What happened after the Nimtoli fire that claimed 124 lives? Nothing significant. After Nimtoli, we had the Churihatta fire that took 71 lives, and then the Banani fire that claimed 48 lives," he said. "The recent fire at the Bailey Road building has now taken 46 lives."
"It is deeply unfortunate that so many people have died in this fire," he said. "We see these types of incidents occurring repeatedly, and after a period of intense focus, the situation simply goes back to normal."
He said that recommendations made after previous fires at Nimtoli, Churihatta, Bangabazar and New Market had yet to be implemented.
"We haven't yet developed proper awareness or a sense of urgency regarding fire safety," he noted. "It is now our duty to hold the authorities accountable for enforcing fire safety regulations." In a separate development on Friday, M Khurshid Hossain, director general of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), provided preliminary information about the fire's origin.
"While the fire was initially thought to have originated at the Kacchi Bhai restaurant, this was not the case," he said.
At the Sheikh Hasina National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute, he told reporters that the fire began in a small shop on the ground floor and was initially contained using a fire extinguisher.
"However, a gas cylinder explosion caused the flames to spread rapidly," he commented. "Most of the casualties resulted from suffocation due to the thick smoke."
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