Detective Branch (DB) chief Mohammad Harun-Or-Rashid said following the Bailey Road fire, the law enforcement agencies are monitoring restaurants in Dhaka to ensure proper fire safety and to determine whether there is an emergency exit route in case of an accident.
He said this while talking to journalists at his office on Minto Road in Dhaka on Monday.
Referring to the Bailey Road fire, the DB chief said: “Some 46 people, including the daughter of one of our police officers, who was a meritorious student at Buet, were killed in the Bailey Road fire. If each agency had fulfilled its responsibilities, such incidents might not have occurred. Therefore, we are investigating every restaurant to see if any restaurants do not comply with fire safety regulations. We are checking in those places that if there are proper exits for quick evacuation and pathways for air circulation, and we will inform the appropriate authorities if we find any irregularities.
"There is negligence behind such accidents. But we look for it only after something happens. Buildings are being constructed randomly without following the rules. If all these buildings had been searched beforehand, this would not have happened. Such incidents like Bangabazar, Nimtoli, and Banani's FR Tower would not happen repeatedly,” the DB chief added.
Regarding Kacchi Bhai restaurant, he said: "Was there permission to operate so many restaurants in this building on Bailey Road? In a shop where there is no room for 20 people, they are serving 50. How would people escape in case of an accident? Gas cylinders were kept on the staircase. I do not know whether these restaurants had approval or if the Fire Service had properly supervised.”
“The rooms were arranged in such a way that there was no opportunity for air to circulate. If there were pathways for air circulation, perhaps the loss of life would not have been so high. Even in case of an accident, there is no way to escape to the roof; a restaurant has been built there too. There are more buildings like this in Dhaka city. There are many agencies in Dhaka city to look into these matters. There are building managers. We do not know if they are keeping track of these issues," he added.
