The Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) and Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal (BSD) have demanded resignation of the ministers and state ministers of the concerned ministries over the Savar tragedy that has so far claimed over 1100 lives.
CPB President Mujahidul Islam Selim at a protest rally on Monday said that the concerned ministers and junior ministers must step down owning responsibility for the country’s worst-ever industrial disaster.
The two Left-leaning parties jointly organised the protest rally in front of the National Press Club.
The parties in a joint statement said that the ministers and junior ministers of the Ministries of Home, Labour and Disaster Management must resign for the huge loss of lives.
They also came up with a 10-point charter of demands. Among others, the parties demanded filing of murder cases against the owner of the collapsed nine-storey building ‘Rana Plaza’, Sohel Rana, owners of the five readymade garment factories housed in the building, and others responsible for the mishap.
Construction of a memorial at the site of the collapsed structure in memory of the ill-fated workers, confiscation of the properties of the owners of the building and garment factories to use the money realised after selling the properties for rehabilitation of the injured workers, Tk 2 million compensation to each family of the deceased workers, ensuring workers’ safety in the garment factories and re-fixing the minimum wage of the workers at Tk 8,000 were some other demands of the parties.
Selim said: ‘The government is trying to protect the criminals by filing normal lawsuits over the building collapse incident.”
He also claimed the BGMEA was trying to save the owners of the garment factories.
The death toll from the disastrous Rana Plaza collapse has so far climbed to 1136.
Meanwhile, the 2nd phase of the rescue operation using heavy equipment entered the 14th day on Monday.
Rescue works are carried out cautiously so that bodies in the wreckage can be retrieved undistorted or with the hope that anybody like Reshma might be found alive.
The eight-storey building came down crashing on April 24.
Police and RAJUK filed two lawsuits with the Savar Model Police Station against owners of the building and five garment factories.
The first case was filed on charges of structural faults and use of substandard and unspecified building materials in construction of the building. The second case was lodged for the loss of lives and damages.
Police have already arrested building owner Sohel Rana, owners of five garment units, Rana’s father Abdul Khalek and the building designer, two engineers of Savar Municipality responsible for buildings safety. They were remanded in police custody in different terms.
Meanwhile, wife of a deceased worker has filed a lawsuit against three people including Rana and a garment factory owner.
CPB President Selim demanded the highest punishment for Rana and the factory owners for the disastrous collapse.
Source: Bd news24
