HSIA fire probe needs to go deeper

The findings by the 12-member government probe body formed following last month's devastating fire at the import cargo complex of the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) are nothing extraordinary. That the fire resulting from an electrical short circuit was a pure accident and not caused by any design was only expected. This observation by the probe body is no doubt reassuring as it dismisses any speculation of sabotage. However, the probe report sounds too familiar as one might recall here instances of other destructive fires such as the one that broke out last December at the highly protected Bangladesh Secretariat buildings. 

The secretariat fire destroyed invaluable government documents. The high-powered probe committee in that case also found from CCTV footage that loose electrical connection had caused sparks which gradually turned into a flashover. Now, in the present case of HSIA fire, the relevant authorities need to explain as to why private courier outlets were allowed to operate and inflammable materials kept in a very sensitive area of the airport without any regulatory oversight for so long. As the probe report exposed, the area of the HSIA destroyed by the fire was marked by dangerous storage practices lacking in the most rudimentary fire prevention measures like fire alarms, smoke detectors, sprinklers or any operational hydrant.

 What is further shocking about the just submitted government probe report is its reference to the fact that the destroyed cargo village of the HSIA in question did, also in the past, experience seven similar incidents of fire, which, if common sense is any guide, were no less damaging, since 2013. The public were reported to have been denied access to any information regarding those fire incidents for reasons best known to the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) of that time. But why was this hush-hush approach to those past fire incidents by CAAB which is supposed to oversee the overall management of HSIA? It is hard to believe that all such incidents of fire were accidental. Otherwise, why was the information about the past HSIA fires suppressed? In that case, it is not enough to just state that the fire incidents also happened in the past and that those went unreported. Given such a history of repeated past fires at the HSIA's import cargo complex, the issue demands more serious attention than it has received until now from the interim government. 

Admittedly, it has been a commendable step on the part of the high-level government investigation committee to have brought to the fore the past instances of gross professional negligence by the authorities concerned. But the public would like to know if any heads did roll in the past for the callous neglect of the safety issues at the same section of the HSIA and if any action would be taken against those responsible at present for ensuring safety of import cargo space of the airport. Even if the latest HSIA fire has been caused accidentally by an electrical short circuit, as stated in the probe report, the failure to install fire safety measures at such a sensitive place cannot go unaccounted for. Also, those in charge of the place and supposed to have every inch of the cargo complex under close inspection must answer for the failure to fix the loose electrical circuit. Hopefully, the interim government this time would do the needful to ensure safety and security of the HSIA's cargo village.