The whole background behind the incident at Rana Plaza keeps getting murkier and murkier – this is what I thought as I saw reports about the circumstances that gave rise to the collapse.
From these reports it is clear that Rana Plaza's owners are fully responsible for second degree murder, but it doesn’t end there. Savar municipality officials permitted the building to be built, without due and proper verification. Hence to that extent; they are also a party to the crime.
Incidentally, in the same daily where I was reading one of the aforementioned reports, the next column on the front page mentioned another garment owner who is roaming free, despite a garment factory fire on November 24, 2012, which killed 112 poor garment workers!
This is a huge mess for the ruling party to clean up in the next few months leading to the general elections.
As reported, the structural designs for Rana Plaza, were done by a fictitious and non-existent designer; providing an absurd and imaginary membership number of the Institute of Engineers; that the approving municipality only found out about following recent investigation – to their dismay.
This important verification should have been done prior to giving approval for construction. Did "speed money" help short circuit this basic step of verification by the approving municipality officials? If so, then they too are accessory to the second-degree murder of the victims killed in the horrifying Rana Plaza disaster.
Furthermore, two different configurations for the structures were provided in approval applications, to the same Savar municipal authorities, for the samebuilding. Initially, in 2005, the application was made for a six-storeyed building and in 2008 there were specifications for an additional four floors, making the building ten stories. Strangely, the approving municipal authorities undertook no in-depth scrutiny or detailed study. Maybe more "lubricant" was applied by the petitioners for quick approval. It is a classic case of: "Act in haste and repent at leisure!" Now the persons concerned should rightfully be put behind bars; so they can repent their stupidity or greed – at their leisure.
To prevent this once for all, I propose that for the approval of any building above three storeys, be it residential, commercial or industrial – a setof detailed drawings and material specifications for the structure must be physically signed in the presence of the concerned approving authority. Additionally, full particulars of the owner and the designer with their photographs, identity cards or passports must be documented. Another step would be to document and verify T&T and mobile numbers by calling those phone numbers in the presence of authorities, and the approving official, who will ensure that all drawings and specifications are duly checked and recorded.
This will greatly reduce the chance of fraud, and ensure that correct, proper and verified information is duly recorded, one set of which must be preserved in the approving authorities' files, for future reference as and when it may be required. This should reduce or eliminate any chance of fraud or misrepresentation.