EPAC seeks ministry report

Earthquake Preparedness and Awareness Committee (EPAC) requested housing and public works ministry to present a complete report by May 20 on the eight buildings that caved in recent earthquake in the capital.
"The report has to find reasons of tilting and measure losses and accountability of those buildings," a press statement of the ministry said.
The ministry has been also asked to retrofit the old and vulnerable buildings of public medical colleges.
The directions came up at a meeting which was held at the secretariat on Thursday with disaster management and relief minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya in the chair.
The committee asked RAJUK and the city corporations to take effective steps to update the national building code and implement it.
It suggested RAJUK and the city corporations to identify vulnerable buildings and hang signboards on these buildings saying 'vulnerable building'.
The ministry informed the meeting that a draft of Building Code Bill will be finalised by September.
Disaster management and relief secretary M Shah Kamal and representatives from the local government department, public works department, city corporations, RAJUK and fire service and civil defence were present at the meeting.
The ministry was asked to take steps for retrofitting important buildings including educational institutions, religious places and markets by the respective ministries.
EPAC urged Ministry of Primary and Mass Education to carry out dry runs in educational institutions two times a year.
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