A part of the roof of the Noor Mansion’s second floor collapsed on Wednesday night in the capital’s New Market area. No casualties were reported as the market was closed on the occasion of May Day.
Following the incident, the market authorities closed the shops on the second and third floors adjacent to the site, with bamboo barricades. They covered the collapsed area with mats and cloth.
The second floor’s entrance gate, the one attached to the old footbridge was also closed, to restrict the entry of customers. On condition of anonymity, some shop owners told the Dhaka Tribune: “Cracks were visible at different parts of the building long before this collapse but the market authority did not take any action.” “Though the roof collapsed on Wednesday night we do not know the time of the collapse and the authorities removed the debris very quickly in the morning,” a shop owner at the market said.
Two workers of shops adjacent to the collapse site on the second floor said: “There are cracks everywhere on the roof and it is the same on every floor of the market.
“We fear that the same thing may happen again.”
Cracks were observed on the roofs, floors and stairs of the building, mostly hidden by nameplates, signboards and billboards.
The four-storey building is situated on the eastern side of Mirpur Road in the city’s New Market area. The market is adjacent to Gausia Market and attracts over a thousand customers daily.
However, President Alhaj Lokman Hossain Liton and Secretary Rashid Jibon of the Shop Owners' Association of Noor Mansion denied the vulnerable condition of the building and said: “The accusations that the building is not safe are false and it is not even on the list of Rajuk’s risky buildings.”
The leader of the association further said: “Since the building is not at risk, there is no need to publish the news in newspapers. We hope you will not publish any negative news about the building.”
Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakkha (Rajuk) prepared a list of the capital’s unsafe buildings in 2008 and in 2010. According to the list, about 321 worn and risky buildings, which may collapse at any time, are in the capital. Noor Mansion was not included on the 2010 list.
When asked about the incident yesterday, Rajuk chairman, Nurul Huda, told the Dhaka Tribune: “I still do not know anything about the collapse. Therefore, it is not possible to make any comment.”