Bida yet to start inspecting commercial buildings while fire incidents recur

About two and a half years ago, following a major casualty incident in a fire at Hashem Foods in Narayanganj, the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (Bida) assumed responsibility for overseeing the safety of the country's factories and commercial establishments.

At that time, a national committee, led by the prime minister's Advisor on Private Industry and Investment Salman F Rahman, was established to oversee safety standards at factories and marketplace buildings in close coordination with all relevant agencies, aiming for efficient monitoring.

Under this initiative, inspections for fire safety, building safety, and electrical safety have been conducted in 10,000 factories. Among them, over 200 factories have been identified as posing risks, yet no actions have been taken against them, and no establishments have been shut down.

Inspections of commercial buildings have yet to begin, with some officials attributing the delay to insufficient budget allocations.

Once again, the issue of safety takes centre stage as another commercial building on Bailey Road in the capital city was engulfed in a fire on Thursday night, resulting in the loss of 46 lives.

A senior official from Bida, on the condition of anonymity, told TBS, "Initially, we visited some commercial establishments, but considering the budget, we decided to prioritise inspections of industrial factories."

Avijit Chowdhury, an executive member of Bida, said, "The finance ministry will soon allocate funds for the third phase inspection. We have already held discussions with ministry officials in this regard."

The Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE), under the labour ministry, is responsible for safety inspections.

AKM Salauddin, deputy inspector General of DIFE, told TBS, "Some markets have undergone inspection. However, inspections of commercial buildings were not part of the Bida initiative initially. It will soon be included in the plan."

Sekendar Ali Mina, executive director of Safety and Rights Society, told TBS, "Even after two years since BIDA's initiative, the anticipated progress on ensuring fire safety has not materialised. Instead of establishing numerous separate agencies, it would have been more beneficial if the existing ones could coordinate to ensure safety."

Numerous incidents of devastating fires have occurred in commercial buildings in Bangladesh. One such incident took place on 28 March 2019, where 25 individuals lost their lives in a fire that engulfed the 22nd floor of the FR Tower building in the capital's Banani.

"Commercial buildings should have been prioritised for inspection under Bida," said Sekendar Ali Mina.

Meanwhile, sources told TBS that among the factories inspected by Bida and identified as risky, none have been closed down. However, a year ago, Salman F Rahman said, "A grace period of six months has been granted to 206 risky factories. If they do not enhance their safety standards within the stipulated timeframe, they will face closure."

Following the inspection of the burned building on Bailey Road yesterday, AKM Salauddin, deputy inspector general of DIFE, said, "Rajuk, the government agency responsible for coordinating urban development in Dhaka, has approved this building construction. We were astonished to find numerous safety violations. How was it approved?"

The director general of Fire Service and Civil Defense also said that the building authorities had been issued notices three times regarding the risks it posed.

Though Rajuk permits building construction, DIFE is tasked with inspecting these commercial buildings. Upon speaking with officials from DIFE and the Fire Service, TBS found that their authority to intervene in case of irregularities in factories or establishments is severely restricted. Furthermore, DIFE's workforce is insufficient compared to the demand.

Following the significant loss of life in the Bailey Road fire, as observed in the past, responsibility is being shifted from one party to another.

Ali Ahmed, former Director General of Fire Service and Civil Defense, told TBS, "The Fire Service or DIFE lacks the authority to shut down factories. However, in this instance, there is a need to bolster regulatory bodies."