Chemical inventories get licence renewed days before fire

Dhaka South Mayor Sayeed Khokon and others helping in loading a truck with chemicals being transfered from the basement of the Hazi Wahid Manzil at the city’s Chawkbazaron Saturday — FE photo

Dhaka South renewed licences of several chemical inventories in Old Dhaka days before the Chawkbazar fire, officials said.

They said the renewal process was done ignoring the reality that the presence of highly flammable items in the densely-populated residential areas was risky.

An official at the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), preferring anonymity, said the corporation renewed licences of several chemical warehouses a few days before the devastating fire that killed at least 67 people injuring many others.

"Now what we see after the tragic fire, the same corporation is calling for the relocation of these godowns from the Old Dhaka," he said.

Like the Dhaka South, other agencies concerned did not pay any heed to the dangers of housing chemicals in the densely-populated areas like the older part of the capital, he said.

"It means we did not take any lesson from the Nimtoli tragedy and the Chawkbazar was its consequence. It's not an accident, it's a manmade disaster and we all are responsible to that," he added.

After repeated attempts, this correspondent reached a member of a committee that recommended the renewal of the inventories' licences. He, however, agreed to speak on condition that his name was not identified.

He claimed the corporation renewed licences of inventories where explosives are not stored, considering their business importance.

"These are non-explosives and we renewed licences of a few inventories following the recommendations of other relevant agencies. These elements (chemicals) will be used in making perfume," he said without giving any further details.

According to Fire Service and Civil Defense (FSCD), there are many factors, including chemicals used in making perfume behind the deadly fire in Chawkbazar.

When contacted, chairman of Poribesh Bachao Andolon (PoBA) Abu Naser Khan said the city corporation keeps allowing warehouses of dangerous chemicals in the Old Dhaka instead of taking stern action against them.

Citing its own data, he said there are around 1,000 chemical factories in the old city, 850 of which are illegal.

He said they have been raising the issue with the corporation whenever they found the opportunity and got assurance of taking action only.

"We did not see any drive against the chemical bases. We didn't have to see this day if the administration or the city corporation had done what many urban planners suggested or prescribed after the 2010 incident at Nimtoli," he added.

Shifting chemical warehouses from the residential areas was one of the 17-recommendations made by the inter-agency probe committee after the Nimtoli incident.

But none of the recommendations was implemented even after nine years of the tragedy.

Other major recommendations were enforcing Fire Prevention and Extinguishing Rules 2003 and expanding the narrow lane to ensure smooth movement of fire vehicles, installing separate hydrant points in the city's different areas, forming a cross-functional licence issuing body and updating school and college textbooks to raise awareness among students.

Instead of expanding the narrow lanes, the development authorities keep allowing people to do business by occupying the tiny lane, making it difficult for the firefighters to respond, Fire Service director (operations and maintenance) AKM Shakil Newaz said.

He said people are allowed there to build houses without the water reservoir, which is unfortunate.

"Chemical is flammable whether it has low-hazard or high-hazard. It should be located separately because chemical-fuelled fire incident is deadly by nature," he added.

While visiting the Chawkbazar area, former industries minister Dilip Barua came down heavily on his counterpart Amir Hossain Amu.

He said the relocation of the chemical inventories would have been much easier had the minister (Amu) taken up the matter seriously.

The Chemical Merchant Association and the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) came up with a decision that that chemical business would be relocated to a land outside Dhaka when he was the minister, he said.

"It was our pledge. But the whole process could not proceed due to tactical reasons," he said without elaborating.

When Dhaka South mayor Sayeed Khokon came to visit the place, a section of people were chanting slogans against relocating the inventories.

They were claiming that the fire erupted from the gas cylinders.

Talking to the FE, Haji Muslim, a local trader, said chemical is being used in making many consumer goods and chemical was not the cause of fire.

"It is the gas cylinder that caused the fire. We demand stopping the use of gas cylinders," he said.

People are getting ornaments and other beauty products at cheap rate of the chemical," he added.

After the slogans, the mayor said the fire originated from the gas cylinder.

Citing a video footage, he said it was seen that gas cylinder was the main cause of the incident.

During the mayor's speech, people around him were voicing against providing gas to the vehicles.

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