Once again, a fire broke out on Wednesday night in Old Dhaka, this time at a plastic factory in Lalbagh’s Posta area.
It is saddening to see that, even now, incidents such as these continue to take place and that lessons remain to be learned when it comes to the issue of fire safety.
After the Chawkbazar and FR Tower fires, it had been evident that there was something seriously wrong in the way we had planned this city of ours.
It came as no surprise to learn that most buildings in the city did not meet the minimum safety standards, let alone have fire escapes and fire extinguishers in place to avoid a potential catastrophe.
However, one would expect that, since then, authorities and citizens alike would get their act together, and ensure that there can be no compromise when it comes to the safety of our citizens.
Unfortunately, this latest fire at the plastic factory shows us that, in this regard, we still have a long way to go.
As of now, the cause of the fire and the extent of the damage remain unknown. We expect the authorities to do everything in their power to get to the bottom of this, and bring to book those who may be responsible.
Dhaka city has, for the longest time, required a makeover when it comes to ensuring safety in buildings and, by not doing so, we are allowing millions of people’s lives to be at risk.
This has to change. We can no longer allow negligence of this sort go unchecked and unpunished.
