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The drive against non-compliant buildings in the capital continued on Tuesday amid fire-safety concerns following the Bailey Road building fire that claimed 46 lives.
The Rajdhani Unnayan Katripakkha (RAJUK) conducted raids on the Bailey Road area and sealed off two restaurants -- Nawabi Voj and Sultan's Dine.
RAJUK officials initiated the drive around 11:00am. Hearing news of the raid, the officials and staff of Nawabi Voj hurriedly closed the restaurant and fled. Later, the Rajuk team sealed off the restaurant.
Nawabi Voj restaurant is situated on the ground floor of a two-storey building, with the upper floor housing a showroom for a clothing brand.
Regarding Sultan's Dine, RAJUK officials said the restaurant's management failed to provide necessary documents.
Despite their claim of possessing all required documents, the restaurant was sealed off, pending further action upon document verification.
The drive is continuing as a fire incident occurred at the Green Cozy Cottage building on Bailey Road around 10:15pm on February 29, resulting in the tragic loss of 46 lives.
This incident underscored the negligence of eight restaurants operating in the building without proper fire safety measures or permits.
The incident prompted the RAJUK to intensify its drive against commercial activities violating building design and approval regulations.
In Tuesday's operation, a fine of Tk 0.2 million was also imposed on the Capital Siraj Center building for failing to update its fire safety clearance.
Sarfuddin, director of the Capital Siraj Center, told reporters that everything is okay of the building while they were just awaiting the fire licence.
Monir Hossain Howladar, director of the RAJUK Region-7 while conducting the raid, said that their routine operation is not only targeting restaurants but also any establishments causing issues or citizen safety.
Meanwhile, owners of five restaurants escaped, displaying banners declaring temporary closure for their restaurant development when the executive magistrate of the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Jahangir Alam and his team carried out a raid.
He said the DSCC was slated to conduct a raid on the Khilgaon area on Tuesday as part of its pre-announced inspection of hazardous buildings in the capital.
This operation commenced on Monday in collaboration with the fire service.
Following the announcement, hundreds of restaurant owners along Shahidbag road in Khilgaon preemptively closed their establishments.
Consequently, the Dhaka South City led a raid on a seven-storey building in the area housing restaurants on every floor, leading to the building's eventual closure due to safety concerns.
During a subsequent visit to another multi-storey building nearby, the executive magistrate and fire service officials encountered a banner declaring temporary closure for restaurant development.
This building at 589/C of Malibagh Chowdhurypara accommodated five restaurants, including 'Kacchi Bhai' and 'Siraj Chuigost'.
However, the executive magistrate could not access the main gate due to it being locked.
Locals of the area said these restaurants remained operational at night.
Asked, Jahangir Alam said they might extend the raid even at night following the previous drive at Dhanmondi in the city.
Earlier on Monday, government agencies sealed off 23 restaurants and closed all operation of a building named Keari Plaza in Dhanmondi while total 25 persons were arrested for safety issues.
Meanwhile, Fire Service and Civil Defense Director (Operations and Maintenance) Lt Col Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury said fire safety plans for 6,284 buildings have been approved for design approval in four years since 2020.
However, 1,173 building authorities have applied for fire safety-related performance certificates after building construction but only 484 buildings have received the certificate.
During the inspection of the building, in most cases it is seen that the owner is not following the rules.
As per the Fire Prevention and Extinguishing Act, 2003, the fire service had the power to seal buildings with fines through mobile courts.
But as the rules of the law have been suspended, there is very little opportunity to apply them, said fire service officials.
The Bangladesh Restaurant Owners' Association (BROA) has alleged that government bodies are harassing restaurant owners in the name of inspections following the Bailey Road Fire in the city.
According to leaders of the association, the extent of harassment during these inspections is crossing limits in many cases.
They demanded a thorough investigation into the deadly fire that occurred in Bailey Road restaurants on February 29, which left at least 46 people dead, as well as other loopholes in the restaurants, by forming a high-powered task force.
This demand was made during a press conference held on Tuesday at BROA's central office in Purana Paltan.
Imran Hassan, Secretary General of BROA, read a written statement during the press conference, which was attended by BROA President Osman Gani, Vice President Md Shah Sultan Khokan, Joint Secretary General Feroz Alam Suman, and others.
The 'corrupt officials' of the government are now jumping for holding inspection into the restaurants, said the BROA leaders, asking that where these government agencies have been all this time
At least 40 restaurants were closed on February 4, with most of them located in the Dhanmondi area of the city. Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) took action against three restaurants on Bailey Road in the capital on Tuesday.
In the written statement, Imran Hasan stated, "No one can avoid responsibility for the fire at the Bailey Road building. I urge the formation of a high-powered task force to conduct a thorough investigation of the incident and to formulate guidelines for the future to prevent unregulated restaurant setups."
According to the BROA Secretary General, more than 3 million people work in approximately 0.48 million restaurants across the country, with a total of 20 million people directly or indirectly dependent on the sector. He expressed frustration over seeking help from government offices in the past without cooperation, only to now be harassed in the name of monitoring.