Probe body clears resumption of work

The probe committee formed to investigate cracks developed in places of under-construction 37-storey City Centre in Motijheel in its report yesterday suggested resumption of the construction.
The report submitted to the chief executive officer of Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) says the brick walls on which the cracks developed on March 29 are not part of the building's main structure.
The cracks do not indicate any weakness in the main structure and the walls can be removed or replaced, says a DCC official.
The committee headed by Prof Dr Md Zoynul Abedin of Buet during inspection observed cracks in six places, the report mentions.
The committee was formed on March 30 and was asked to submit its reports in 15 days, but it missed two consecutive deadlines.
The report says the cracks were developed due to pressure on the walls and recommends removing the walls, which were constructed on the shore pile of the ground floor. Only new walls could be constructed considering security matter, but the upper parts of the walls will not be connected to the main structure, it suggests.
The committee also suggests monitoring the building if vertical alignment changes in line with the progress of the construction.
The DCC must take proper steps to monitor the construction and ensure quality of construction materials, the report says.
It also slams DCC for not keeping a project director and site engineer to coordinate and supervise the construction and suggests presence of such officials for rest of the work.
Construction of the 37-storey building started during the tenure of BNP-led alliance government and 31 storeys have so far been built.
The skyscraper includes a 10-storey parking lot and is scheduled to be completed by December 31. It is designed to have 4.8 lakh square feet floor space including office, a convention centre, recreation areas and parking.
Other members of the probe committee are Prof Dr Khan Mohammad Amanat of Buet, Lt Col Nurul Huda, PWD Superintendent Engineer Ahmad Ali Khan and DCC Executive Engineer Md Abul Hasnat.