Demanding exemplary punishment for those responsible for the April 24 Savar building collapse, 24 social and voluntary groups have started activities under one umbrella to support the survivors of the incident that claimed more than 1,000 lives.
The group terms the deaths “killings” since it says the deaths were caused by the negligence of the building's owners and the owners of the five garment factories housed in it.
In a press conference held at on Dhaka University campus yesterday, the volunteers, mostly students, presented seven demands. These include compensation for families of the dead, the injured and the missing workers and a memorial to honour the victims and the role of the garment workers in the economy.
Sadat Hossain Niloy of Shaheed Rumi Squad read out the statement.
The group's other demands include covering the cost of treatment and rehabilitation for the injured, ensuring their employment, shutting down other vulnerable factories as well as declaring April 24 “Workers’ Killing Day.”
Initiated by the voluntary group Amra – largely formed during the Shahbagh protest – its individuals formally launched Savarer Pashe Protibadi Amra. It aims to supervise and monitor the treatment and rehabilitation of the injured, assist the families of the dead and identify the missing.
The volunteers, in groups and individually, engaged in the rescue operation while some helped with rescue tools at the site. Many volunteers also visited the hospitals and assisted the doctors with medicine and the families with money and food support.
Most of the groups have prepared lists of the dead, the injured and those who went missing during the rescue. But these are haphazard.
The group aims to compile the lists and make the information available to organisations and online at savar-tragedy.info.
Organisers said they would keep the list updated.
