Finance minister AMA Muhith has proposed duty-free import of the prefabricated building materials and fire safety equipments for the RMG sector for factory relocation and also for bringing improvement in fire safety standards.
Muhith also proposed to duty cut on some RMG raw materials to 5% from existing 10% while 3% on artificial staple fiber from existing 5%.
According to a rough estimate of BGMEA, around 1,200 RMG factories need to install sprinklers, while 3,000 other factories have to install fire doors to full fill the requirements of the Accord and Alliance, which would cost more than Tk2,500 crore.
Garments workers safety came on the spot light after the incident of Rana Plaza, an eight-story commercial building having housed five factories, collapsed in Savar on April 24, leaving at least 1,135 workers killed and over 2,500 injured.