Staff Reporter :
As many as 500 chemical warehouses and factories in Old Dhaka will be relocated to the Shyampur industrial area, says Dhaka South Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh.
He made the remarks on Wednesday while visiting the carnage in Chawkbazar where a recent fire killed six people.
“We have conducted combing operations in light of the Cabinet Division decision and marked 1,924 factories and warehouses,” he said.
“Work is underway to relocate them. Unless they are completely relocated, we won’t get rid of these accidents,” he added.
Expressing frustration at the recent accident, the mayor said: “How can a restaurant that has no commercial clearance be here? How did they get gas and electric lines without commercial clearance?”
Taposh said that these warehouses and factories are putting the residents of the heavily populated locality at risk.
He said that a place on the bank of a river should not have these kind of establishments but be tourist spots.
On the other hand, Department of Fire Service and Civil Defence has claimed that they are facing hurdle to continue the fire incident investigation as the locals are not assisting them.
During ‘meet the reporters’ Fire Service and Civil Defence chief Deputy Assistant director Bazlur Rashid said that they could not even meet the hotel owners.
On Monday, a fire at a plastic factory that originated from a hotel downstairs, claimed six lives. A five-member probe committee has been formed to investigate the matter.
