What should be blamed is a lack of political will: Ex-fire service DG

Brigadier General (retd) Abu Nayeem Md Shahidullah, former director general of Fire Service and Civil Defense, said that Rajuk and the fire service cannot avoid responsibility for the fire at the Bailey Road building. He spoke to The Business Standard on Saturday afternoon in front of the Green Cozy Cottage building on Bailey Road, where the fire broke out.

He highlighted several factors, including accountability and fire safety measures in the city.

TBS: The Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) said the building did not have permission to operate restaurants. The Fire Service and Civil Defense said the owner of the building had been repeatedly served notices. Who should be held accountable for the incident?

Shahidullah: Rajuk said that they granted permission only for office. Did they not have an inspection in this area? We can see on Google Maps that there is a restaurant here. We can see on the mobile phone when this building opens and closes. So why do they not know? There is nothing to hide here. It is clear as broad daylight. So why did the inspector not see it? And why can he not be held accountable?

TBS: On the issue of political will, what needs to be done here?

Shahidullah: The regulatory bodies are not isolated entities. They are all under the jurisdiction of some ministry. You are talking about Rajuk. The authorities have been given the power to take any legal action against the Rajuk inspectors at any time.

The home minister can take any action in his department at any time. Here, political will means whether the work is being done by the departments as per responsibilities given to the ministers by the prime minister.

And there is also a parliamentary standing committee to monitor their activities. The parliamentary committee is also given the responsibility of whether the ministry is doing its work. Whether the departments under the ministry are working properly.

We are blaming the fire service for not doing enough. We need to blame where there seems to be a lack of political will. And why is it not possible to bring them under the law? The inspectors are afraid to file cases. We cannot say that the cases will not be protracted.

TBS: Are other restaurants, like the one in this Bailey Road building, in a similar state, including those in Dhanmondi?

Shahidullah: Of course, the markets in Dhanmondi, Mirpur 12 have shops and restaurants. Food shops mean there will be stoves. Having a stove means that flammable materials are being used.

If safety measures are not taken for flammable materials, we may hear news of fires breaking out somewhere. Be it Dhanmondi, Mohammadpur, or Mirpur. I was in the fire service for 5 years and I never saw a day when there was no fire. Be it Ramadan, Eid, Puja, or Christmas.

TBS: When building owners obtain various clearances, including fire safety, do you check how they are implementing them in the building?

Shahidullah: The practice of issuing conditional licenses should be stopped. Currently, conditional licenses are given with the understanding that everything will be fixed within 6 or 9 months. However, in most cases, the building owner never fixes the issues later.

The second issue is the occupational certificate. This means that an inspection is required before people are allowed to enter the building after it is constructed. This is very important.

We need to know why people are allowed to enter a building. In our country, this inspection is not done. In foreign countries, electricity, gas, and water lines are installed before the occupational inspection. Here, we have a huge lack of coordination, which is why these deaths are happening.

TBS: Many people think that a building regulatory authority is needed. What do you think?

Shahidullah: A building regulatory authority is very much needed. The government is working on it. But it should be done quickly. Once this is done, the architects and engineers will also be held accountable.

This regulatory authority will be able to highlight technical issues. If there is a building authority, it will be able to monitor the construction of buildings. It will be able to monitor the buildings after they are constructed.

TBS: Any suggestions based on your work experience?

Shahidullah: First, we need to understand who the first responders are. In other words, I am the first responder for the shop I own. The owners' association is there. They are the first responders. Because if there is a fire, it will take at least 10 minutes for the fire service to arrive. In these 10 minutes, I will die, my business establishment will be destroyed, and my capital will be lost. So, we need to be prepared for these 10 minutes.

The second issue is the lack of coordination between the different departments. We need to hold these departments accountable for not enforcing the law.

And the third issue is political will. We do not want to see people die in fire accidents anymore. Because accidents can happen. Accidents happen in Japan but there is not much loss of life or property.

But in our case, there is a lot of damage when an accident happens. Some 52 people died in the Shezan Juice factory fire, and about half a hundred people died here. More than 100 people died in the Tazreen Fashions fire. We have to be accountable to the families of these people.