Dhaka city development authority Rajuk has suspended one official and show caused two others because of irregularities in giving permission to the construction site that saw several land subsidences since Wednesday.
In a press briefing yesterday, Md Abdur Rahman, acting chairman of Rajuk, said these officials had not informed the higher authority before approving the construction of the NBL twin towers.
However, Abdur Rahman did not disclose the names of those officials at the press briefing or when contacted.
Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) approves building designs and monitors whether or not existing rules and regulations are followed in construction. Public representatives, such as lawmakers and city mayors, have been blaming Rajuk’s incompetence for the subsidences at Bir Uttam CR Dutta Road which put the Hotel Sundarban at risk.
The popular hotel was evacuated immediately after the first subsidence on Wednesday morning in which a part of the busy road caved into the 60-feet excavation hole at the construction site.
Before authorities could secure that part, land subsided twice more on Thursday night and Friday morning, eating up more of the road and prompting authorities to restrict traffic on the southern half of the adjacent Panthapath road indefinitely.
Authorities and experts earlier said that at least 1,500 truckloads of sand would be needed to fully secure the area.
But as of yesterday, around 4,000 truckloads of sand have been dumped at the site, said Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Chief Engineer Ansar Ali.
Experts said all this sand has only secured the part that subsided on the first day.
After the second and third subsidences, more cracks developed on the wall that separates the Hotel Sundarban and the construction site. So, a lot more sand will be needed to make sure that these new cracks do not hurt the hotel building and the adjacent roads and streets.
Buet Professor Sayeed Fakhrul Amin, who had been observing the site since Wednesday, said: “The north-west side of Hotel Sundarban is still under risk. The authorities will have to dump sand to fill up the north-east and north-west sides of the excavation hole to make the area risk-free.”
However, as far as this correspondent has seen, filling the entire hole, especially the western side of the site, will not be easy as trucks can come to the area only via the Bir Uttam CR Dutta Road. For filling up the opposite part of the site, sand will have to be carried manually or by laying a makeshift road.
Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor Sayeed Khokon visited the area around 2pm yesterday and said that he might give orders to partially open the Pathapath road after he visits the area again after Fazr prayers today.
But before giving the order, the mayor said he would have to be convinced that vibrations from vehicular movement would not trigger any further subsidence and that the entire area had been secured well by dumping sufficient sand.
Prof Fakhrul, who accompanied Khokon yesterday, advised the mayor to keep at least 35 feet of the Panthapath road off limits for vehicles. Traffic movement on the remaining 20 feet should not be dangerous.
Md Salauddin, owner of the construction company, yesterday said the subsidences have significantly weakened their protective wall and further collapses may occur if there is heavy rain.
Although Mayor Khokon has been holding Rajuk responsible for the disaster, officials of the city development authority thinks the construction company should be blamed.
“Rajuk gives permission after examining designs on papers. But in this case, the construction company has made the mistakes,” said Shah Alam Chowdhury, a director of Rajuk.
