Demolition disaster

If anything, the way RAJUK has gone about the business of demolishing the Rangs Bhaban exposes grave shortcomings of government agencies in undertaking a sensitive and delicate operation demanding maximum precision such as demolition of a high-rise building. It is a classic example of a shoddy and clumsy work, undertaken without detailed planning and adequate precaution and safety measures
One could not help but notice a cynical hurry in the RAJUK action soon after the court order, declaring the construction above the sixth floor of the Bhaban illegal, was given. No sooner was the verdict announced than we found the RAJUK workers raring to undertake the demolition of the building, only with shovels and picks. The occupants were not given adequate notice to vacate the premise and shift their movable property elsewhere. The entire operation looked so amateurish as to betray a definite bias and a premeditated mindset of the establishment, as if there was an agenda to fulfill in a hurry.
To learn that Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC) was not complied with by the very agency that is tasked to ensure its compliance is a sad commentary on the concern for public safety of a government agency.
The blame for the incompetent, careless and haphazard way that the demolition work has been undertaken is not only for RAJUK alone to shoulder. The government cannot shirk its responsibility of the mess that has been created which has not only cost a dozen lives but also poses potential threat to the many buildings and lives in the vicinity of Rangs Bhaban, let alone thousands of commuters that pass by it daily. One would have expected the government to exercise more supervision and control before the work commenced and during the process as well.
It is well to keep in mind that demolition of a structure in a way is more difficult than its construction. We wonder whether RAJUK or indeed those that were given the contract to bring down the building, had the necessary expertise and equipment for such an undertaking. We feel that this should have been thoroughly scrutinized by all the concerned agencies beforehand.
We strongly recommend that the government take action against those responsible for the mishap. As for compensation, not only the relatives of those that have died must be adequately compensated, RANGS, the owner of the building, and all those that owned property in the said premises between the third and sixth floors, which is a legal structure but now stand destroyed by the collapse, should also be fully compensated for their losses.