The Fire Service and Civil Defence on Friday morning stopped their rescue operation at the seven-storey Gulistan building in the capital while the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) authorities is carrying out propping work at the site to increase the load-bearing capacity of the building.
Along with Rajuk, fire service and RAB teams are on alert at the spot.
Regarding the latest condition of the building, Rangan Mondal, a member of the technical committee formed by Rajuk, said: “We are basically trying to prop up the building, that is, to temporarily stabilize the building. After propping we will survey whether the building can be retrofitted (strengthening of columns to increase bearing capacity). However, it will take us 1.5 month to complete this survey.”
When asked about opening the road in front of the building, he said: “After propping, we will see how stable the building has become. Besides, we will see how much vibration the building can withstand. We will take a decision after looking into these issues.”
Deputy Director of Fire Service and Civil Defence (Dhaka division) Dinmoni Sharma said: “Our rescue work is not going on at the scene. However, we are on the spot, responding to any emergency. Besides, no one has come to us to claim that anyone is missing.”
