For many, integrating with society not easy
"I will never work again for any garment factory."
Fardaus Mobarok
UZZAL Das was a sewing machine operator at New Wave Style on the sixth floor of Rana Plaza. His life came to a halt at 9:30 in the morning when the building which had developed cracks a day earlier collapsed on the 24th of April, 2013.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. "Part of a beam of the structure fell on me. I was desperately waiting under the rubble for someone to rescue me,” said Das while describing the nightmare of the accident.
Das was trapped under the rubble for nine hours before the rescue operation reached him.
Another survivor, Md Alauddin, worked at Ether Tex, a floor down. When the building came down, he too found himself trapped and lost hope of surviving.
"I did not expect to get rescued. I was praying to Allah that I could see the face of my daughter once more before dying," he said. The day was the birthday of his little girl, he added.
He was trapped for 10 hours before rescue.
Both Das and Alauddin suffered multiple injuries in the disaster and are now receiving physiotherapy at the Centre for Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP) after completion of their treatment.
They are not at a loss thinking how they will earn to run their families.
Das only got back his ability to walk after an operation on his right leg and year-long treatment.
He has completed a six-month vocational training course on electronics under the National University at the CRP rehabilitation centre.
He adds he will go back to his parents in Barguna after completing his physiotherapy at the CRP and set up a mobile servicing shop in the area.
The nightmarish day when Rana Plaza collapsed still haunts him. The sight of high-rise buildings scares him. "I know all buildings will not fall apart, but the fear is yet to go from the mind."
Though Uzzal looks fit physically, he has lost the strength to do heavy labour due to the severe pain at his waist, head and kidney apart from the fractured leg.
Md Alauddin is also unable to lift anything heavy.
He is set to be released from CRP around two months later on completion of his training on tailoring.
"As a technician, I had a handsome salary. I used to bear the expenses of my parents alongside my wife and daughter. I have no salary now. I got some money during treatment which has been finished by this time," he says.
He expressed his satisfaction with the treatment and training course at the CRP but said he has to take physiotherapy for an unknown period of time.
He wishes to start a small business.
Rehana Akter, 24, whose left leg had to be amputated, said she had been working at the New Wave Styles Limited on the seventh floor of the building before the accident.
After the building collapsed, she found her left leg crushed by a part of a wall with blood spilling out of the leg.
She had her leg amputated at a city hospital, and was admitted to CRP for further treatment and physiotherapy. She has been provided with a prosthetic leg recently.
She does not want to go back to her previous profession. “I will not work in any garment factory. Our life has been ruined. If we were in good physical condition, we could do something to earn our livelihood.”
She wishes to go for a vocational training course at the CRP.
She is still haunted by the memory of the day of collapse. "I feel very bad whenever I remember that day. I used to be physically fit but I have lost that. I cannot console myself. The accident has taken away everything."
Total 239 survivors completed vocational trainings on different courses including dress making and tailoring, general electronics and shop management under a project by the CRP to rehabilitate a total of 502 Rana Plaza collapse victims.
According to the rehabilitation centre, 123 have already been integrated to the society after training.
In the current session, thirty three victims are taking different vocational courses.
The actual number of workers who were working at the five garment factories at Rana Plaza during the collapse is yet to be known.
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) initially gave an estimate of 3,600 workers.
According to Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence, around 2,500 people were rescued after the disaster.
The accident of the event killed over 1,135 workers and more than double of the number were injured.
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