It has been informed by the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) that the building where a fire broke out on the multiple floors of Bailey Road in the capital, resulting in the death of 46 people, did not have permission to operate restaurants. The building was only approved for office use.
There were eight restaurants, a juice bar, and a tea-coffee shop in the building. There were also shops selling mobile phones, electronics, and clothing.
It has been reported by the Director-General (DG) of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) M Khurshid Hossen that the fire started from a cylinder in a shop on the ground floor of the building. He said that even though the fire service arrived quickly, the fire quickly spread due to other cylinders exploding. As there was only one staircase, many people could not escape and fell down while trying to get out.
The fire broke out in the building on Thursday night at 10:00 PM. 46 people died in the fire, of which 37 bodies have been transferred. 12 people are admitted to the hospital, and the health minister Samant Lal Sen has said that they are not out of danger. 75 people have been rescued alive from the building.
RAJUK has stated that the building had permission for eight floors. Residential use was only permitted up to the eighth floor.
Ashraful Islam, the project director of RAJUK’s Urban Planning and Detailed Area Plan (DAP) project, stated that commercial permission was granted from one to seven floors of the building. However, this was only for office use. Permission was not granted for restaurants, showrooms, or any other activities.
The fire service has stated that there were two electronic shops named ‘Samsung’ and ‘Gadget and Gear’ on the ground floor of the building, a juice bar named ‘Shikhlik,’ and a tea-coffee shop named ‘Chumuk.’ On the second floor, there was a restaurant named ‘Kachchi Bhai,’ on the third floor, a clothing shop named ‘Illiyon,’ on the fourth floor, two restaurants named ‘Khanas’ and ‘Fuko,’ on the fifth floor, a restaurant named ‘Pizza In,’ on the sixth floor, two restaurants named ‘Jesty’ and ‘Street Oven,’ and on the roof, there was a restaurant named ‘Ambrosia.’
However, in the pictures of the building, the signboard of a restaurant named ‘Hakkadhaka’ can be seen on the seventh floor, which was not accounted for by the fire service.
As RAJUK is saying that there was no permission for restaurants or clothing shops in the building, similarly, the fire service is saying that there was a deficiency in fire safety measures in the building.
Brigadier General Mo. Main Uddin, the Director-General of the Fire Service, said that there were no fire safety arrangements in the building. The building authorities were sent letters three times, warning of the risks. However, no measures were taken.
