Twin tragedies and the aftermath
Wednesday, 9 June 2010
Shamsul Huq Zahid
The worst fire at the old city's Neemtali and the collapse of a four-storied building at Begunbari have triggered a flurry of initiative on the part of a number of government agencies.
The Dhaka district administration, the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) and the Department of Fire and Civil Defence have launched a joint drive against one of the suspected causes of Neemtali fire, highly inflammable chemicals kept in some factories and storages in many residential houses in old Dhaka.
A team, headed by a magistrate and representatives of the agencies concerned last Monday made a thorough search in some selected areas for chemical storages and factories using inflammable ingredients, closed down at least four such factories and storages, realised a hefty fine from their owners and arrested a few of their employees.
While the team was conducting the drive, residents of these localities volunteered to lead the team members to the locations of such factories and storages, alleging that the owners of these buildings have exposed the tenants as well others to greater danger. A new reality about living side by side with highly inflammable chemicals, thus, has dawned on the old Dhaka residents following the Neemtali fire.
Similarly, the Begunbari building collapse that killed more than 24 people has put the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakha (RAJUK) on its toes. It is now preparing the list of buildings that have been constructed in different areas of the city either without its approval or beyond the approved design. It has already started demolishing another Begunbari building that has leaned to one of its sides because of faulty construction.
On the issues of unauthorised construction and buildings that are not livable, the old Dhaka again comes at the top. If the RAJUK decides to enforce the building codes strictly, hundreds of old Dhaka buildings would be probable casualties. Owners of most buildings constructed between fifties and seventies in old Dhaka did not bother to take permission from RAJUK, which used to be known as the Dhaka Improvement Trust (DIT) earlier, or get their construction plans approved by it. The RAJUK has always been more concerned about the new Dhaka and has paid not that much of attention to the old part of the city.
Barring a few places, the old Dhaka has grown for nearly two centuries in an unplanned manner and according to the demand of the time. Buildings have come up much to the whims of their owners, not on the basis of detailed plans drawn by the structural engineers and architects. What were main roads once do not allow even a bus to move freely. The lanes and by-lances are so congested that a manually driven rickshaw cannot pass through easily.
But that is what is old Dhaka. Even if the RAJUK wants to, it may not be able to make any noticeable change in the situation as far as the pucca structures and road networks are concerned. Rather it might try to convince the owners to demolish old and dilapidated buildings on their own. And the government should offer some incentives in this connection. Application of force on the part of the RAJUK or any other government agency is unlikely to work. The RAJUK had tried demolition in Sankhari Patty where there is a large concentration of dilapidated buildings but failed ultimately as owners moved to courts and got stay orders in their favour.
The administrative aggressiveness now being displayed in dealing with use and storage of inflammable chemicals and dismantling of buildings constructed violating building codes, many fear, might not last long.
In the past also, similar accidents prompted the agencies concerned to demonstrate a sort of hyper-activity, mainly because of the media attention. But it did not take too long a time for these agencies to return to the usual sloth and inaction.
But the Begunbari and Neemtali tragedies have shaken the people deep down. They do not want to see their recurrence. And the government agencies concerned should live up to the expectations of the people and try their best to make the people aware of the dangers looming large because of an unplanned growth of the capital city in all directions and initiate all the necessary measures to avert similar crises in future.
The worst fire at the old city's Neemtali and the collapse of a four-storied building at Begunbari have triggered a flurry of initiative on the part of a number of government agencies.
The Dhaka district administration, the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) and the Department of Fire and Civil Defence have launched a joint drive against one of the suspected causes of Neemtali fire, highly inflammable chemicals kept in some factories and storages in many residential houses in old Dhaka.
A team, headed by a magistrate and representatives of the agencies concerned last Monday made a thorough search in some selected areas for chemical storages and factories using inflammable ingredients, closed down at least four such factories and storages, realised a hefty fine from their owners and arrested a few of their employees.
While the team was conducting the drive, residents of these localities volunteered to lead the team members to the locations of such factories and storages, alleging that the owners of these buildings have exposed the tenants as well others to greater danger. A new reality about living side by side with highly inflammable chemicals, thus, has dawned on the old Dhaka residents following the Neemtali fire.
Similarly, the Begunbari building collapse that killed more than 24 people has put the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakha (RAJUK) on its toes. It is now preparing the list of buildings that have been constructed in different areas of the city either without its approval or beyond the approved design. It has already started demolishing another Begunbari building that has leaned to one of its sides because of faulty construction.
On the issues of unauthorised construction and buildings that are not livable, the old Dhaka again comes at the top. If the RAJUK decides to enforce the building codes strictly, hundreds of old Dhaka buildings would be probable casualties. Owners of most buildings constructed between fifties and seventies in old Dhaka did not bother to take permission from RAJUK, which used to be known as the Dhaka Improvement Trust (DIT) earlier, or get their construction plans approved by it. The RAJUK has always been more concerned about the new Dhaka and has paid not that much of attention to the old part of the city.
Barring a few places, the old Dhaka has grown for nearly two centuries in an unplanned manner and according to the demand of the time. Buildings have come up much to the whims of their owners, not on the basis of detailed plans drawn by the structural engineers and architects. What were main roads once do not allow even a bus to move freely. The lanes and by-lances are so congested that a manually driven rickshaw cannot pass through easily.
But that is what is old Dhaka. Even if the RAJUK wants to, it may not be able to make any noticeable change in the situation as far as the pucca structures and road networks are concerned. Rather it might try to convince the owners to demolish old and dilapidated buildings on their own. And the government should offer some incentives in this connection. Application of force on the part of the RAJUK or any other government agency is unlikely to work. The RAJUK had tried demolition in Sankhari Patty where there is a large concentration of dilapidated buildings but failed ultimately as owners moved to courts and got stay orders in their favour.
The administrative aggressiveness now being displayed in dealing with use and storage of inflammable chemicals and dismantling of buildings constructed violating building codes, many fear, might not last long.
In the past also, similar accidents prompted the agencies concerned to demonstrate a sort of hyper-activity, mainly because of the media attention. But it did not take too long a time for these agencies to return to the usual sloth and inaction.
But the Begunbari and Neemtali tragedies have shaken the people deep down. They do not want to see their recurrence. And the government agencies concerned should live up to the expectations of the people and try their best to make the people aware of the dangers looming large because of an unplanned growth of the capital city in all directions and initiate all the necessary measures to avert similar crises in future.