Each and every fire that breaks out is a tragedy, and it is a shame that we seem to be no closer to finding a solution to stop them from occurring, over and over again.
The latest fire, at Mohammadpur Krishi Market, joins the capital’s Bangabazar and New Market in the list of major markets devastated by fires -- a trend no one wants to see.
While no lives being lost is a small blessing, goods worth several crores of taka have been burned in the fire; hundreds of shops were in the area where the fire broke out, with most of them burned with nothing saved from them.
And it was mostly small traders, hundreds of them, who have now all but lost their source of livelihood -- the very same fate that had befallen traders in Bangabazar and New Market.
To say that we must put a stop to what is fast becoming a grotesque trend would be an understatement.
Officials of the fire service said that due to the shortage of water, they had to struggle hard to bring the fire under control -- it is statements like this that make each and every fire all the more unbearable because almost always, the damage caused is far greater than what it should have been and it is the lack of appropriate fire fighting facilities that exacerbates an already dismal situation.
It’s time for the relevant authorities to take a long, hard look at this issue, and see the damage that is done time and time again. Furthermore, it is imperative that we do not forget the small traders who lose everything in these fires, and devise a solution for them to get back on their feet again.
Bangladesh talks about progress and reaching economic milestones, but we will get nowhere if we keep getting burned, over and over again.
