The New Nation - Internet Edition

THE tragic death of 10 young people (nine of them of a family) in a fire incident in old area of Dhaka City on Sunday night is really painful. Series of such tragic deaths of workers in garment factories occurred in recent years. Very many workshops and factories have been set up in residential areas. Operators of such workshops and factories do not follow the relevant rules and regulations. The services like electricity, water supply and roads in residential areas cannot meet the greater demand of workshops and factories.

The use of residential buildings as factories has increased. The production of chemical, plastic and synthetic products, and even medical products, has been augmented by owners of small and medium enterprises. Those owning and operating such workshops and factories have to be brought under administrative control. The vulnerable factories and workshops in the old-town areas of Dhaka City and the residential areas and industrial zones should not be allowed to operate without ensuring safety and security of workers and management personnel. Setting up of factories in residential areas in the old city areas has to be stopped. Along with that, community awareness has to be augmented with the involvement of local people including elected representatives of the city corporation.

The owners and the management personnel, of such workshops and factories have to take corrective measures for prevention of fire incidents. Official agencies like the fire service and the law enforcing agencies have to promptly respond to distress calls of the affected factories. Sometimes, these agencies fail to reach the location of such incidents due to narrow road networks in such areas. Even the availability of water in set areas remains inadequate and, thus, twists the work of fire fighting agencies.