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City buildings to come under fire safety scanners

FE REPORT | Thursday, 23 June 2022


More than 1,000 commercial high-rises, especially markets, in Dhaka city will come under government inspection soon to ensure fire, structural and electrical safety, officials say.
The government will inspect multi-storey commercial buildings (market buildings) in Dhaka North and South City Corporation areas soon, they add.
Initially, eleven integrated inspection and monitoring teams comprising 12 members each have been formed on June 20 to inspect 1,072 buildings.
The move came as home ministry wrote to Bangla-desh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) on February 22 to inspect all old high-rise complexes (market buildings) located in Dhaka city.
In this connection, the BIDA organised training for all members of the inspection teams on Wednesday.
The Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) has provided overall support for the training held at BIDA Multipurpose Hall.
The teams include members from the DIFE, fire service, environment department, public works department, architecture department, Titas Gas, explosives department, chief electric inspector's Office, FBCCI, DESCO, DNCC and DSCC.
This inspection will be carried out through a new checklist of 82 questions, according to the BIDA.
The checklist includes 13 licences or approvals from the authorities concerned like fire service, boiler, environment and explosives departments, and DIFE.
The inspectors will also check, among others, designs approval, structural design, occupancy as per design, load capacity and electrical issues, according to DIFE officials.
Earlier, under the directive of the Prime Minister's Office, 108 teams, led by the BIDA, inspected 5,206 factories and establishments across the country.
During the training, DIFE inspector general Md Nasir Uddin Ahmed says, "Inspectors will inspect sincerely so that the inspection report reflects the true picture of commercial establishments and markets."
He urges the members of monitoring teams to complete inspection with due diligence during vigilance.
BIDA executive member Abhijit Chowdhury, DIFE additional inspector general Mina Masud Uzzaman, Fire Service and Civil Defence former DG Brig Gen (retd) Abu Nayeem Md Shahidullah, among others, were present.

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