Dr Kamal for nat'l commission to ensure building safety
Jatiya Oikyafront Convener Dr Kamal Hossain yesterday recommended forming a national commission to find out whether there is negligence in ensuring construction of safe high-rise buildings in the country.
“We should form a national commission to assess whether there's any lack of law in ensuring safety since high-rise buildings are being built every day,” he said.
Dr Kamal, also president of Gono Forum, came up with the remarks while talking to reporters in front of the fire-ravaged FR Tower in Dhaka's Banani .
At least 25 people were killed and over 70 injured in the devastating fire on Thursday.
Dr Kamal said the FR Tower fire is a wake-up call for ensuring construction of safe buildings, maintaining proper designs and the building code. “It must be ensured that every building has emergency fire exits.”
Dr Kamal said laws regarding the construction of buildings and ensuring public safety must be maintained and enforced.
He also said actions will have to be taken against those violating laws. “It's the duty of the state to strictly monitor everything to avoid such accidents.”
The Gono Forum chief said the Supreme Court Bar Association has formed a probe committee to look into the FR Tower fire and identify whether the state is performing its duty well and the authorities concerned are properly approving building designs.
He urged journalists to help the probe body by providing them with necessary information in this regard. “A national investigation is necessary, not an ordinary one, to find the actual reasons behind the fire.”
Dr Kamal along with his party's senior leaders went to the spot around 10am and talked to on-duty police officials about the tragic incident.
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