It cannot be mere coincidence that, on the same day, two different slums in the country -- one in Dhaka’s MIrpur, the other in Chittagong’s Chalantika Jhilpar slum -- find themselves recovering from fires that have destroyed the homes of the people who reside there.
These fires have since then been brought under control thanks to our brave firefighters, but what we continue to fail to bring under control is the frequency with which such fires continue to ravage the lives of people living in low income areas.
Yes, this is definitely not a coincidence -- a fire in the same slum in Mirpur had broken out in August of last year, and nine people were killed in another fire in Chittagong’s Chaktai area.
This is to say nothing of the fires we have seen in recent times in Korail, Chawkbazar, or FR Tower.
The source of these most recent fires is, as of yet, unknown, but the fact remains that Bangladesh has been playing with fire for far too long, with little to no recourse in terms of getting to the bottom of these or to finding solutions to these issues of safety that would ensure that such fires do not recur.
The Bangladeshi people, regardless of their level of income, have a right to live without fearing for their lives, and knowing that the authorities will ensure that the homes that they live in, no matter their wealth or social status, provide safe environments for them and their families.
Unfortunately, we have failed the Bangladeshi people in this regard.
Negligence has ruled our construction, and thugs with nefarious intentions have destroyed the homes of thousands of innocent people.
We cannot let this stand. The first step is to figure out the source. The next: Strict regulations which ensure that anyone found negligent of duties is punished.
