Lax safety measures
It was painful to hear of us the death and injuries caused by the collapse of the flyover on March 13. Similar incidents have been noted before – a textile manager died on the spot due to a falling girder from a foot over-bridge near the Science Laboratory in 2000; in the same year, three people died from accidents near the Notun Bazaar; twelve people died due to a collapse flyover girder in Chittagong in 2012. All these deaths are a result of sheer negligence of the construction companies. It appears as if no strict regulations or contracts are in place under the Construction Code to compensate the victims and their families for such incidents.
Meanwhile, we have noticed that many roads are built with Bitumen carpeting, which costs large sums of money. But basic technology isn’t employed to have provisions for rain water drainage, which tends to wash away the Bitumen, resulting in significant national losses. It’s high time for the government to engage an “Inspection Authority Team” which will ensure that contractors follow basic safety measures in construction sites. They must also ensure that clauses in the construction agreements include a binding obligation for contractors to provide monetary compensation for victims, both as medical treatment fees and sustenance for the victims’ dependents.
Sirajul Islam
Paribagh
