Dhaka district administration on Wednesday closed all activities at Razzak Plaza, an eight-storey commercial complex near the collapsed Rana Plaza in the Savar bus stand area, following a report of cracks in it.
The closure followed a decision at a meeting between the building’s owners and the Dhaka district administration at Savar Police Station on Tuesday midnight as private TV channel ETV ran a report on the development of cracks in Razzak Plaza Tuesday evening.
Oli Ahmed, one of the building owners, on Wednesday morning asked the owners of the garment factories and shops housed in the building to keep all their activities suspended.
The building houses over 1,000 shops from the ground floor to the third floor and two garment factories — Al Amin Garments and Zobian Sweaters — from the fourth floor to the eighth floor.
Meanwhile, a joint team of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) and Dhaka district administration reached the spot in the morning to examine the building.
During the visit, the team found cracks on the extended portion of the building.
The delegation has decided to seal off the building considering its prevailing risk and asked the BGMEA to seek opinions from the experts of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) and Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk).
Garment workers and shop employees of Razzak Plaza beat up ETV Savar correspondent Nazmul Hossain at Savar bus stand in the morning and staged demonstrations protesting what they said was misleading news of cracks in the building.
The agitating workers also vandalised the house of Nazmul’s father-in-law Khalilur Rahman in Savar bus stand area.
They also blocked Dhaka-Aricha Highway demanding the arrest of the reporter and opening of the market.
On information, Savar police rescued reporter Nazmul from the agitating workers and took him to a local clinic.