The nation is shocked to witness another devastating fire, this time not in the crowded capital or in a garments factory, but at the BM Inland Container Depot at Sitakunda, Chattogram that has claimed 49 lives and injured more than 200 people. There could be more casualties from the severely injured. Among the victims were nine firefighters who were heroically trying to douse the fire with their limited fire fighting capacity, but an explosion in a chemical container also tore them apart. No amount of monetary compensation to families of the victims, specially the firefighters, would be enough. In our atmosphere of governances lying and cheating are easy. Nobody in a position of power of money and otherwise feels he has not to be responsible or accountable. We have doubt that promises will be kept honestly. To be negligent about lives of ordinary people has become normal to get away with.
While we say this, we strongly demand an answer from the relevant authorities as to why the mandatory safety measures like storing chemicals on a separate part of the premises with caution signs were not followed at BM Container Depot. The Dangerous Cargo Act-1953 stipulates that shipping companies, ports and container depots should store and ship easily combustible chemicals like hydrogen peroxide separate from other goods. Moreover, multiple caution signs also needed to be put in place. The presence of chemicals like hydrogen peroxide was the reason why fire was outer after one and half a day it had first broken out. Had these safety measures been complied, the firefighters and others could have taken caution while they were trying to douse the fire.
It is the authorities in the government, especially the ministry of labour, have to ensure compliance with the law.
Reports surfaced Monday mention that around 240 tonnes of hydrogen peroxide was stored in 16 containers to be shipped to a foreign destination. These containers belonged to Al Razi Chemical Complex Limited owned by one Mojibur Rahman. He is the owner of the depot also. Now the question is: is it enough to arrest the owner of the complex and punishing him, though he must be punished, if compliance of the law cannot be ensured before the tragedy strikes.
Two separate committees have been set up to investigate the cause of fire, one by the fire service and another by the body in charge of inspecting safety regulations in factories. One committee should have been sufficient who were in charge of inspecting safety and ensuring obedience to the law to know who were careless to do their official duty. We have huge establishment of the government to see that laws are obeyed for the safety of lives.
Apart from a general negligence on safety measures in the industrial settings, we have always seen a lack of interest in the government to enhance the fire fighting ability of the country’s Fire Service and Civil Defence that do not have adequate fire fighting personnel as well as crucial fire-fighting equipment. The government spends a huge amount of money for the so-called mega projects, more useful mega corruption, but is unwilling to spend a little fraction of it for the cause that is directly related to people’s lives, health care and safety. In the present tragic situation Chattogram hospitals were not prepared to deal with the emergency needs of the dying and injured ones in crisis.
