Dr Kamal: We will investigate if FR Tower followed regulations
The Gono Forum president stated this after inspecting FR Tower on Friday
A committee led by Gono Forum President Dr Kamal Hossain will investigate whether FR Tower was built following laws on construction of buildings.
“We have collected all information regarding the tower,” he told reporters after inspecting FR Tower—where a fire claimed 25 lives and injured many others on Thursday—in Banani, Dhaka, on Friday. “But we shall not just stop there.
“We will find those responsible for the design of the tower,” he said. “Those who gave the authorities approval to build, and whether the approval was given following the law, will be investigated.”
Like all the other countries, Bangladesh should also decide upon laws that decide on the steps to take in case of a fire emergency, the Gono Forum president said.
“In other countries, all 10-12 storey buildings have fire exits,” Dr Kamal said. “However, astonishingly, most high-rise buildings in Bangladesh do not have fire exits. It is unacceptable that people are trying to survive by jumping from buildings.”
He said his committee will monitor whether companies are constructing multi-storey buildings adhering to necessary laws, and taking steps to ensure safety in case of a fire.
“Firstly, we will go through the existing laws on construction, and see if they lack anything,” Dr Kamal said. “All the high-rise buildings in the city—whether they were built lawfully, or if their designs are lacking—should be looked at.
“The committee should also decide upon the legal action to be taken against these companies, if they break laws,” he said.
It will have experts, who can evaluate every topic related to fire emergencies.
“This committee will have an engineer and an expert architect,” Dr Kamal said. “Whenever a new building will be constructed, these people will advise about the fire exits. They will also evaluate the situation of the existing buildings.”
He requested the public to cooperate and provide Gono Forum with any information they might have regarding the FR Tower fire.
A devastating fire has claimed 25 lives and injured 70 other individuals at Banani’s FR Tower around 12:52pm Thursday. It was brought under control—six hours later—by 21 firefighting teams and units from Bangladesh Navy, Army and Air Force.
