Fire Hazards: Agencies spring into action, finally
Rajuk yesterday conducted a raid in the Gawsia Twin Peak building on Dhanmondi's Satmasjid Road and sealed off 12 restaurants there, four days after a deadly fire in a Bailey Road building killed at least 46 people.
In a separate drive, Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) closed down another building on the same road.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Dhaka Metropolitan Police also yesterday conducted a drive in the capital's Wari area and detained 16 staffers of different restaurants.
Tazina Sarwar, deputy secretary and director of Zone-3 (Rajuk), briefed reporters about the Gawsia Twin Peak raid yesterday afternoon.
She supervised the mobile court operation, which started around 11:00am and went on till 4:00pm.
The restaurants were sealed off as the building was intended for offices use rather than for housing restaurants, she said.
The team fined a restaurant, "Spice and Herbs", on the ninth floor, Tk 2 lakh and demolished a portion of a rooftop eatery "Retro Live Kitchen".
However, no fines could be imposed on the restaurants from the 10th to the top floors as no managers or owners were present.
Meanwhile, a DSCC mobile court sealed off an entire 12-storey building called Keari Crescent, also on Satmasjid Road, as it lacked fire safety measures.
The building, which houses restaurants on almost every floor, was closed off after a drive, led by Executive Magistrate Md Jahangir Alam, around 3:00pm.
The DSCC team detained three staffers of a visa processing office in the building, as the rooms of the office were constructed without following adequate safety procedures. They were, however, let go after being fined Tk 3 lakh.
Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence hung a banner in front of the building's main gate, marking it as risky.
DSCC also raided Rupayan ZR Plaza on the same road and fined the owners of three restaurants – Buffet Empire, Buffet Lounge and Buffet Paradise – Tk 1 lakh each for a lack of fire safety measures.
The fines were imposed under section 18 of the Fire Prevention and Extinguishing Act-2003.
Additionally, DMP raided different restaurants in the capital's Wari area and detained 16 people for negligence regarding fire and combustible substances.
Two staffers of Peshwarain restaurant -- Salauddin Ahmed, 29, and Saiful Islam alias Shimul, 30 -- managers of the restaurant -- were arrested in connection with a fire incident in the restaurant's kitchen on Friday night. They were sent to court in a case filed by police.
Police raided around 18-20 restaurants during the raid, which began around 3:45pm, on Wari's Ranking Street, SM Shamim, additional deputy commissioner of DMP's Wari Zone, told The Daily Star.
The fire safety lapses included the operation of restaurants within residential buildings, the use of electric ovens, and the storage of 8-10 gas cylinders in small, congested kitchens, he said.
Some buildings, housing restaurants, shops, and apartments, lacked proper fire exits.
Shamim added that they also found some restaurants with no fire extinguishers at all or with expired ones.
About the 16 detained, Deputy Commissioner of Wari Division Iqbal Hossain said action would be taken against those operating restaurants within residential buildings, especially those using gas cylinders carelessly.
During the Rankin Street drive, the DMP team found one restaurant with an exit path next to the kitchen. However, the exit was closed and littered with various objects, the DC added.
The 16 were detained under sections 285 and 286 of the penal code, which deal with negligence regarding fire and combustible and explosive substances, police said.
Rajuk Chairman Anisur Rahman Miah said they have identified several buildings violating the design and policy rules during drives in different areas of the capital, including Dhanmondi, Bailey Road, and Gulshan, since Sunday morning.
"The eviction drives are being conducted in phases. Strict action will be taken against the buildings that got permission from other departments apart from Rajuk," he said, urging the agencies concerned to be more aware while granting permission for restaurants.
He added that there was no permission for the restaurant business in Green Cozy Cottage building on the capital's Bailey Road.
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