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Business has been thriving for years in Bangabazar and other markets in Dhaka that were labelled as ‘risky’, and some were declared ‘abandoned’.
Traders, government agencies, and city authorities neglected the safety risks to life and property by failing to take appropriate measures.
A letter exchanged between departments within the city authorities reveals that they are also concerned about potential disasters, reports bdnews24.com.
All the shops were burnt down by a devastating fire last week at Bangabazar, one of the largest clothing marketplaces in the country.
After the disaster, Dhaka North City Corporation said steps had been taken to demolish the ‘abandoned’ markets, and the process would commence gradually after Eid-ul-Fitr. A magistrate had also been appointed to oversee the work.
Among the 43 markets in areas under Dhaka North City Corporation, 20 are deemed ‘risky’, with eight of them in an ‘extremely fragile’ state.
Although these markets were declared abandoned on Apr 1, 2019, due to safety concerns, businesses continue to operate in them.
The Fire Service and Civil Defence said Bangabazar traders ignored 10 notices warning them of the risks in the past four years.
Dhaka South City Corporation, which owns the land, said it had plans to build a multi-storey shopping mall in place of Bangabazar, which was constructed with wood and tin sheets.
However, the traders obtained a High Court order, preventing the plan from proceeding.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina regretted the fire, saying if the shopping mall had been constructed, the fire incident would not have happened.
MARKETS LABELLED ABANDONED AND HIGHLY RISKY
The list of ‘abandoned’ markets includes Gulshan North kitchen market, Gulshan South Paka Market, Mohammadpur kitchen market’s ground and first floors, Rayerbazar Market, Karwan Bazar’s No. 1 and No. 2 markets, Karwan Bazar’s temporary kitchen market, and Karwan Bazar raw material market.
On the ’at risk’ list are Khilgaon Taltala Super Market, Gulshan North Paka Market, Gabtali Prantik Super Market, Mohammadpur Town Hall Auditorium cum supermarket, Mohammadpur Ring Road tin-shed Market, Mohammadpur Ring Road Paka Market, Karwan Bazar poultry market, Karwan Bazar fish market, Karwan Bazar Karmakar Shed, and markets around the kitchen market in the area and Kalmilata Market.
STEEL RODS PROTRUDING THROUGH CONCRETE WALLS
The kitchen market in Karwan Bazar has crusty white mineral salt deposits or efflorescence on its outer wall, with steel rods breaking through the concrete in multiple places.
Traders don’t seem to be very worried about the risk.
“Why should we be afraid? And if the market is risky, why don’t they [authority] demolish it?” asked Abed Hossain, a trader.
Lokman Hossain, general secretary of the kitchen market traders’ association, said it is simple to declare a market ‘abandoned’, but preparations are necessary when such a declaration is made.
He also expressed concerns about the resettlement of affected businesses and said arrangements must be made for their relocation.
BANYAN TREES TAKE ROOT ON MARKET WALL
The three-story Gulshan kitchen market has developed cracks and exposed rods in various places, with banyan trees growing out of some of the cracks.
According to Azharul Islam, a first-floor trader in the market, the floor shakes when people walk up the stairs.
Despite discussions of constructing new buildings after demolition, no one is concerned unless there is a major accident, he added.
When asked why he continues to do business despite knowing the risks, he said, “Where else can we go? This is our source of livelihood.”
Abdul Malek, acting president of Gulshan North DNCC kitchen market owners’ association, said none of the 70 columns in the market has cracked. However, cracks have appeared in certain areas of the building’s exterior.
He added that the city corporation could build a new building, but the businessmen should be given the opportunity to do business elsewhere during the construction.
Selim Reza, the chief executive officer at DNCC, assured the traders of safety during evacuation and rehabilitation during the construction of a new building.
“It’s unacceptable to have an accident in a building that’s declared hazardous and unsafe. While it’s true that such buildings need to be demolished, the traders need to be rehabilitated as well. We must also provide them with a place to conduct their business. Both aspects must go hand in hand.”
BUET RECOMMENDATIONS IGNORED FOR OVER A DECADE
According to Karwan Bazar business leader Lokman, a technical team of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology had recommended retrofitting the building in 2009. Still, even after 14 years, the city corporation has not taken any action on the building.
Retrofitting is a popular method of renovating buildings in developed countries. It involves developers and building service companies designing and carrying out renovation and maintenance work on various types of buildings, including high-rise shopping malls and old traditional structures.
Lokman raised the question of responsibility for the non-implementation of the recommendations, asking if it was the fault of the traders or the city corporation.
He also pointed out that the market was built in 1986 and is only 37 years old and questioned how it could have been declared abandoned so quickly, raising concerns about its construction standards.
BUET made the recommendation before the bifurcation of Dhaka City Corporation. Later, the city was divided into North and South for administrative purposes, but no action was taken to implement the recommendations before or after the division.
According to city authority documents, DNCC’s property department has sent five letters to the engineering department regarding the abandoned buildings in the past four years, requesting to determine their infrastructure price and organise an auction.
On Sept 20, 2020, Md Mozammel Haque, the former chief property officer, sent a letter to the DNCC chief engineer, stating that they had made four requests to fix the price of the abandoned market buildings’ infrastructure for sale or removal in an auction, but received no reply.
The letter also said that the property department would not be held responsible for any accidents that may occur in the abandoned markets due to the delay.
DNCC Mayor Atiqul Islam, when asked about why the BUET recommendations were not implemented, said that during the retrofitting process, the building must be vacated. Still, the owners are unwilling to close their shops even for a day.
He said the process involves pillaring and jacketing, and the surrounding area must be emptied because of the risk of accidents.
The mayor said they had requested to put red flags on the abandoned buildings as a warning, but the shop owners refused to allow any warning posters to be displayed.
They want customers to remain unaware of the risks associated with the market before arriving.
The mayor said the shop owners had requested an extension until Eid, which is approaching soon. However, he expressed concern that no one knows when a building may catch fire or collapse.
MAGISTRATE APPOINTED TO DEMOLISH MARKETS AFTER EID
DNCC CEO Salim Reza said they decided to demolish the ‘abandoned’ markets, and a magistrate was appointed to do the job. “The work will start at the earliest, probably after Eid.”
He also believes that after the consequences of Bangabazar, there will be no more obstacles from the traders. “They now understand that construction of the new building will benefit them.”
Bangladesh will shut down certain Dhaka marketplaces at risk of fire hazards or other disasters after Eid-ul-Fitr, said Salman F Rahman, the prime minister’s advisor on private industry and investment, during bdnews24.com’s talk show ‘Inside Out’ on Sunday.
“Some of the markets in Dhaka I think will be closed down immediately after Eid,” he said, adding, “We have to take drastic action for one or two markets which we think are unsafe, where a disaster can happen.”
“I am not saying that we will close down. We have issued a notice after the inspection, now we will see if they have taken remedial measures or not.”
Although Rahman was unwilling to discuss which markets could be shut down in the near future, he did mention that Gausia Market, another major shopping location in the capital, was also at risk.
WHAT AUTHORITIES SAY REGARDING RISKY BUILDINGS
Mayor Atiqul, in response to questions from bdnews24.com, said there are three possible solutions to address the issue of ‘risky’ marketplaces.
They include retrofitting, demolition and construction of new buildings or relocation of the traders.
Atiqul said the city corporation was evaluating all the options.
“Ensuring the safety of the markets is a top priority. They cannot be left in an unsafe condition.”