No multi-storied building in Jhenidah district town have adequate safety measure to extinguish fire. It may cause huge casualty any time.
The situation arose when the building owners did not follow the rules of Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC) at all. The Fire Service and Civil Defense (FSCD) authorities have already hanged notice to a number of unsafe buildings.
However, the effort by Jhenidah district administration and FSCD is going to be foiled as the building owners merely care the guidelines.
In a recent visit, this correspondent witnessed that ten-storied Rafi Tower, better known for Islami Bank branch, newly constructed Shamima Clinic, Razzaque Plaza and some other multi-storied buildings of Dr Khalek, Srama Bhaban, Taslima Clinic, GM Tower have no adequate fire safety measures.
Although recently Razzaque Plaza has set up some fire safety instruments. Not only that Jhenidah Sadar hospital where thousands of patients and others stay round the clock, had anyhow installed a fire extinguisher very recently which is too inadequate to meet the emergency.
A number of rent holders like banks, others said they are running their activities on the will of the building owners where they do not have any saying.
Environmental activists said that the owners consider the money, not lives and properties of the people as all of them ensure general insurance against the buildings.
Rafiqul Islam, Deputy Assistant Director of the FSCD in Jhenidah, said they have been conducting awareness activities. But the multi-storied building owners show least interest even after witnessing huge fire massacres in Dhaka and other cities in past few years. As they FSCD has failed to draw the attention of ten-storied Rafi Tower, they were compelled to hang a warning notice stating the building was fire-risky, he added.
He also said each and every 400 square metres space should have arrange a fire extinguisher for their safety, while it is absent in all buildings.
Masud Sarder, acting Assistant Director of FSCD of Khulna division, said that most of the building owners virtually do not follow the preconditions for constructing multi-storied buildings. Everybody should take approval from the local administration, municipality, environment department, police clearance and some other relevant sectors. It is mandatory to procure the certificates ensuring available space for safer entrance and departure in the working place at every floor, he added.
Deputy Commissioner of Jhenidah Saroj Kumar Nath said they along with the FSCD in Jhenidah have been motivating the multi-storied building owners to ensure adequate fire safety measures and follow the rules of Bangladesh National Building Code after approval of the concern departments strictly to protect the lives and properties of the people from fire incidents and other similar havoc.
