Chemical warehouses in city

It is a matter of disappointment as well as concern that the old city and its adjoining areas are yet to be freed from the warehouses of explosives and chemicals despite government order to relocate those from the congested localities. According to press reports: lives of thousands of residents still remain under constant threat as traders continue to store and sell combustible chemicals defying the government order. After the devastating fire at Nimtoli on June 3 last year, the government had banned storage of combustible chemicals in Old Dhaka and directed the traders to move their stocks to a safer location by August 17. Following requests from the traders the government later extended the deadline, which expired on September 30. Since the Nimtoli inferno, two fresh fire incidents took the lives of seven people at warehouses in Lalbagh and Bangsal areas and fire originating from explosives killed another ten people in Khilkhet. A probe revealed that the Nimtoli blaze, which claimed at least 124 lives, originated from a chemical warehouse. Traders are still selling flammable chemical products from their stores in the Old Dhaka. On the night of June 3, at least 124 people were killed in the devastating fire at Nimtoli. This was perhaps the worst fire incident in the country's recent history, and with the highest number of deaths. The fire broke out in a chemical factory at Nawab Katra at Nimtoli following explosion of two electric transformers. The fire soon spread to several adjacent houses in the congested residential area taking so many lives. It is a matter of great regret that we are failing to take any lesson from our experiences. As a result the lives of thousands of people still remain under constant threat as traders continue to store and sell combustible chemicals defying government orders. It is the duty of the government to enforce the law strictly against careless handling of explosives and chemicals by unscrupulous traders. Mohammed Jashim Uddin Dhaka E-mail : juctg2008@gmail.com