Legal notice seeks Tk5cr compensation for each Bailey Road victim

A legal notice has been served seeking formation of judicial probe body over Thursday's fire incident in Dhaka's Bailey Road and Tk5 crore compensation for each of the victim.

Supreme Court lawyer Barrister Md Solaiman Tushar on Sunday sent notice to secretary for Home, secretary for Housing and Public Works, director general of Fire Service and Civil Defence, RAJUK chairman and Dhaka deputy commissioner.

According to the notice, a fire broke out at the Green Cozy Cottage Shopping Mall on Bailey Road on Thursday night, February 29. A total of 46 people were killed and 12 others are hospitalized in critical condition. Some 70 people were rescued alive from that building.

"This is the busiest area. Thousands of people visit here every day. Supreme Court judges, lawyers, university teachers and people of various professions live in the residential area on this road."

Media reports said that the building where the fire broke out was not permitted to operate a restaurant. There was no fire safety system in the building. Three letters were sent to the building authorities informing them of the risk. But no action was taken, said the notice.

"This was the authorities liability and they failed. As a result, the authorities cannot avoid their responsibility in any way."

The notice stated that according to Article 32 of the Constitution, everyone has the right to live and enjoy personal liberty. Article 36 states that every citizen has the right to freedom of movement. The fire, which resulted in the death of 46 people and left many injured, is due to the authorities' failure to declare a vulnerable building abandoned and take appropriate action. The authorities cannot avoid their responsibility in any way.

"Therefore, we demand the formation of a judicial commission to find out whose failure caused this fire. Besides, I demand to identify the dead and injured in the incident of that terrible fire and give compensation of Tk5 crore to each of them."