Why measures are not taken against the accused government officials?

On February 29, 2024, a devastating fire engulfed a multi-story building on Bailey Road in Dhaka, claiming the lives of 46 people. Those injured were in critical condition, raising concerns that the death toll could rise. Most of the floors of this seven-story building housed food stalls, with gas cylinders used for cooking. All the restaurants had their gas cylinders stacked up, and as the cylinders caught fire, people were unable to escape due to the barricades. The explosion of a cylinder on the ground floor caused the fire to spread rapidly. The survivors were so severely burnt that DNA samples had to be taken from relatives to identify them. Some struggled to survive with life-threatening injuries. The incident was heart-wrenching and tragic; it left the entire nation in shock at the severity of the tragedy.

After every accident, an investigation committee is formed, which provides recommendations for the future through its report. However, there is no urgency from anyone to implement those recommendations, and the opportunity for implementation is also limited. In Bangladesh, the population growth, coupled with the plight of the poor and extremely poor, has led to the proliferation of makeshift arrangements for survival. Pavements are occupied by businesses, and homeless people are encircled by polythene. Slow-moving rickshaws and carts dominate the streets, and it takes two hours for fire service vehicles to cross a 10-minute distance. Upon reaching the scene of the accident, firefighters struggle to retrieve only a few bodies from the charred debris. There is a lack of sufficient water to extinguish the fire, and no one takes responsibility for creating water hydrants on the streets. Following the fire on Bailey Road, many restaurants in Dhaka have been shut down, and a drive to clear sidewalks is ongoing.

At a restaurant in Dhanmondi, it has been seen that they were knocking down a restaurant. While most buildings have permission to conduct business, this particular restaurant did not have permission to operate. Everyone knows that restaurants are a part of business, and despite differences in permits, this fact has not been noticed by anyone until now. The restaurant owners have recently learned of this information. In Bangladesh, multiple authorities' approval is required to initiate any event. This is because the more authorities involved, the more opportunities for corruption. Restaurant malpractices are managed by corrupt officials, stated Imran Hasan, the Secretary-General of the Bangladesh Restaurant Owners Association, at a press conference. He did not say this openly but implied it during the press conference. The public believes his statement. The public further believes that common people, including rickshaw pullers, city corporation officials, and district administration personnel, have regularly dined at these unauthorized restaurants without paying. If the law were to be strictly enforced, almost all restaurants in Dhaka city would have to shut down. How did so many restaurants manage to establish without permits?

In Dhaka city, there are now countless shopping centers like Bashundhara Shopping Complex, and many of these centers have food courts similar to Jamuna Future Park. It's possible that gas cylinders are used in these food courts. Even if a fire breaks out in these shopping centers, there is doubt whether people can safely evacuate. Therefore, if irregularities are stopped, numerous people will become unemployed, and the economic activities and job opportunities will shrink. Besides restaurants, no restaurant other than a five-star hotel will remain for the common people to eat at. Does this mean that irregularities and mismanagement will prevail? Certainly not. First, action must be taken against the relevant authorities who were responsible for oversight in these areas, including those who neglected their responsibilities despite receiving government salaries. Not only restaurants, but also regular explosions of gas cylinders during transportation lead to the deaths of passengers, severe injuries to housewives in the kitchen, and pedestrians being injured, and workers in factories losing their hands. Gas cylinder explosions often occur when refilling, but the exact responsibility for these accidents involving inferior cylinders is unknown.

Cylinders are always kept near the stove in kitchens. If the high temperature of the fire becomes the cause of an explosion, there should be specific directives from the relevant government departments towards the users. Experts consider gas leakage to be the main cause of most accidents. In this case, user awareness is crucial and unavoidable. Whenever a fire breaks out in a multi-story building, everyone realizes that the building's construction did not adhere to regulations. The authorities responsible for building construction regulations in the capital have not enforced them. There is no one to ensure compliance with building construction regulations except for the Capital Development Authority or RAJUK. Without the enforcement of regulations, corruption does not occur, and without corruption, RAJUK's dishonest employees cannot engage in bribery. Therefore, it is the advice of corrupt inspectors that leads to the violation of building regulations. It's a fact that without inspections by RAJUK, there wouldn't be so much irregularity. In Dhaka city, RAJUK does not have the necessary manpower to monitor the construction of countless buildings under construction. Considering this, it can be considered to assign responsibility to a separate institution for monitoring. Although fire-fighting equipment is adequate in buildings, it doesn't work when needed. Despite having automatic fire-fighting equipment in Bashundhara Shopping Complex, it was of no use during a fire. There are no separate personnel for using fire-fighting equipment in any building. Distressed people try to save their lives, and no one moves towards the fire with equipment.

On the other hand, residents or citizens are not informed about the proper use of these facilities. Usually, multiple buildings do not have adequate staircases, so if a fire breaks out on the staircase, there is no other way to escape. Without a fire alarm system, occupants of a building may not immediately know about a fire outbreak. Only if a building is constructed according to approved designs will the relevant government agencies issue a compliance certificate, endorsed by experienced engineers. Therefore, allegations of non-compliance with building codes many years after construction and use of buildings are baseless. This statement was made by Amin Helali, Senior Vice President of FBCCI.

In Bangladesh, there is no accountability; if there were, offices involved in irregularities would have been prosecuted. When a fire breaks out, the building owner is searched for arrest, but RAJUK and City Corporation officials are not searched. It is ridiculed through social media that the government's negligence leads to various crimes, such as murder, robbery, and rape after the arrest of criminals; unlicensed fitness or driver's licenses are discovered after accidents; fake doctors are found after a patient's death; corrupt ministers and officials are exposed after the collapse of buildings; criminals are found among expelled party members, and it is revealed that building codes were not followed after a fire. These expressions reflect the public's frustration.

Therefore, those in leadership positions in the country cannot evade responsibility; it is urgent to remove corrupt and inactive individuals from administration. Unfortunately, everyone will forget everything after a few days, and government agencies will become active again only if there is another fire in another building, leading to loss of life.

Author: Former Executive Director, Bangladesh Bank and Former Managing Director, Mint.