Unabated hazards of illegal chemical factories

Incidents of fire keep on occurring in disconcerting regularity in the old part of the city, sometimes in the same locality. In a repeat of many such accidents caused by fire, initiated by irresponsible operators in illegal makeshift factories in the old part of the capital, two young workers were badly burnt, one suffering 48 percent burns. They were refilling cigarette lighters with butane, a very inflammable material. And the room that they were working in stored other incendiary chemicals too. This was being done clandestinely in a thickly populated area, and thank heavens, the fire was put out quickly with the help of local people before it could do much damage.
Old Dhaka particularly has become a den of clandestinely operated chemical factories. They are not only engaged in dealing with inflammable materials, they are also producing and marketing spurious goods. And through both these activities are causing tremendous damage to human safety.
Only this year alone nearly half a dozen incidents of fire have occurred in Old Dhaka, with repeat in Nimtoli, where only in June of this year, 122 people perished in a blaze caused by a fire at a chemical store. Some houses in this area are still being used for storage of chemicals and combustible materials despite government ban on trade in these substances after Nimtoli tragedy. August 17, the deadline for relocation of chemical godowns and factories, has long gone by but we see no signs of implementation of government's order..
The Nimtoli victims are yet to fully recuperate from the psychological trauma they had suffered. The government had made good gestures some by the highest authority personally, to address the victims' problems. Some of them, however, are yet to be rehabilitated financially. In addition to having to overcome the aftermaths of a devastating event like the Nimtoli blaze, they, and the entire population of old Dhaka, are being subjected constantly to the prospects of another disaster.
The relevant agencies owe an explanation as to why nothing tangible has been done in relocating the chemical depot and factories away from the thick of human habitation in spite of court directives. Why has no action been taken against the defaulters after August 17th deadline? We wonder whether it is apathy or inability on the part of the agencies to take action. The government should move fast to make life in old Dhaka free from avoidable hazards.