Better monitoring need of the hour

Lack of maintenance and monitoring, absence of punishment for responsible officials and employees, and failure to follow existing laws and regulations are the primary causes of increasing incidents of fire and explosions in Dhaka, said urban planning experts yesterday.

During a virtual programme organised by the Institute for Planning and Development (IPD), experts emphasised the need to prioritise people's lives from all walks of life and manage resources to fulfill their respective responsibilities to build a safe city by learning from past accidents.

The experts also blamed the absence of standard planning and development management for densely populated cities like Dhaka and Chattogram, making the cities less liveable and secure for its residents.

They called for the creation of a "Building Regulatory Authority" to ensure compliance with construction standards.

In his keynote presentation, Prof Adil Mohammad Khan, executive director of IPD, emphasised that the overall preparation to build a safe city is still weak.

To make buildings in Dhaka safe, Md Ashraful Islam, town planner of Rajuk, recommended building owners submit structural designs in addition to architectural designs.

Ashraf also said Rajuk is introducing "third Party Monitoring" to oversee the construction process and prevent irregularities.

Dr Md Easir Arafat Khan, associate prof of Buet, said public interest isn't given sufficient importance when making laws and regulations in Bangladesh, unlike in Singapore where a worker was compensated Tk 10 crore due to employer's negligence.

Dr Chowdhury Md Jaber Sadek, director of IPD, emphasised the need for the state to take immediate action in necessary cases and implement laws related to building and fire regulations.