Stopping fires once and for all

It is extremely upsetting that five people were killed in a fire in a plastic goods manufacturing factory in Gazipur. It is equally shameful that this heinous incident had to take place in the month of December, considered a month of victory by us Bangladeshis. The factory, owned by BIRS Plastic Industries Limited, did not have a clearance certificate. For an incident that occurs in Bangladesh in regular intervals, both the authorities and the factory owners can’t escape the blame here. 

The authorities have known about such illegal operations for a while now, and they have repeatedly stressed after every such incident that no factory would be able to run without providing a safe place for the workers. But yet, they appear to be empty promises, with not even a hint of implementation as editorializing about this topic has become routine. 

It is shameful that we care so little about our workers, on the backs of whom our entire economy rests. It is shameful that the authorities have shown this much incompetence when it comes to incidents like this. And it is extremely disheartening that such incidents are still happening on the 50th anniversary of being a liberated nation. 

There needs to be a thorough investigation. The authorities need to bring everyone who is responsible to justice. They also need to make sure that all factories and chemical storage rooms in Bangladesh meet the required rules and regulations, without giving an inch of leeway to any of them. 

Fires like this have been spreading long enough. Let this be the end.