The fire that broke out yesterday at a Gazipur textile mill is yet another startling reminder, in a series of such reminders, that we have a long way to go in terms of ensuring fire safety in our industrial spaces.
We have already witnessed this year one of the most fatal industrial fires in the history of our nation in the form of the Chittagong depot fire, an incident that claimed multiple lives and irreparably injured far more. To think that, after an incident of such magnitude, our industries would be far more cautious in how it handles the prevention of potential fires.
But, given just how long it took to douse the flames in the Gazipur mill, it seems any such caution was thrown into the proverbial fire.
Bangladesh has seen tragedy after tragedy when it comes to poor fire safety, which are largely a direct product of unenforced safety standards and the impunity awarded to factory owners each time.
The quick fix of awarding meagre compensation to families that have lost loved ones in such fires is not, and has never been, a sustainable or even particularly effective step against preventing future fires, and it becomes increasingly less meaningful as an apology or recompense as the number of incidents and worker deaths continue to stack up unabated.
The flames of bureaucratic incompetence, unchecked corruption, and, most importantly, lack of accountability have already taken too much away from us. Our administration, along with relevant stakeholders in charge of our industries following basic safety codes, need to do better.
