National
5 years ago

Relocation: They still unwilling

Locals bring out a procession in the Chawkbazar area of old Dhaka on Saturday demanding a ban on gas cylinder — FE Photo
Locals bring out a procession in the Chawkbazar area of old Dhaka on Saturday demanding a ban on gas cylinder — FE Photo

Published :

Updated :

Be it the Nimtali tragedy or the latest in Chawkbazar in Old Dhaka, neither could make local traders realise that their businesses should be relocated.

They are unwilling to even admit that the chemicals that stored in the warehouses were responsible for fuelling, if not for sparking, the fire, resulting in the latest tragedy.

Experts, however, say that if it were not for flammable chemicals and products, however started, the fire would not have been such devastating, claiming at least 67 lives and injuring many others.

Three days into the fire on Saturday, fire service officials went to empty out the chemical warehouses only to face obstructions from traders.

As Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Mayor Mohammad Syed Khokon went to step in, he too faced the protest.

Protesters say chemicals had nothing to do with this tragedy. It is a gas cylinder blast that sparked the fire. They demand that the government rather act to prevent gas cylinders from blasting and causing fire.

As DSCC Mayor Khokon vowed to go tough on them, a protesting trader came at him and said, “Why are the government blabbering about on chemicals? ... there were no chemicals here other than talcum powder, body spray and stuff.  

“Are those things called chemicals,” he asked the mayor.

Addressing the journalists present there, the trader said, “How can you say that chemicals were behind the fire when it was sparked by a cylinder blast?”

Local trader Aftab Uddin said, “You are blaming chemicals for the fire, but if the government stops gas cylinders from sparking fires, all problems would be solved.”

“We will not remove chemicals from here. Chemicals shall be here.”

Chawkbazar cosmetics trader Md Alim said, “Chemicals had no role in sparking the fire, nor were there any warehouse behind it. Chemical go-downs must be rented out to us here.”

Even after the mayor left the scene, traders started chanting slogans like ‘Ban cylinders’ at 2:00 pm on Saturday.

During that time, Old Dhaka Bebsayee Oikya Front president Abdus Salam, also a former director of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), arrived there.

“Traders in Old Dhaka will soon be brought under a policy about storing cosmetics and plastics products,” he said.

The chemical-fuelled Chawkbazar fire is the second largest tragedy in Old Dhaka, while the largest one took place at Nimtali in the same part of the capital claiming more than 100 lives in June 2010.

Share this news