Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives Minister Md Tazul Islam on Thursday warned that if rules related to fire safety are violated at the time of construction of any kind of infrastructure, then the ones responsible will be penalised.
“In such cases, the engineers, architects or owners of the buildings will be penalised if found responsible on counts of negligence,” said Tazul Islam.
The minister made these remarks while speaking as the chief guest at a dialogue titled "Causes of repeated fire accidents: steps to prevent" organised by the Nagar Unnayan Sangbadik Forum at the Jatiya Press Club.
He said that there is no alternative to following all the rules and regulations properly at the time of building infrastructures to prevent fire accidents.
An area should have enough roads, reservoirs and open space for this, he said.
"People's awareness is also important to prevent fire accidents alongside proper coordination among government agencies. If everyone performs their duties, we will be able to prevent fire accidents," he also said.
The population of the city and the civic amenities should be attuned to the standards of a livable Dhaka, the minister said. "Due to excessive population pressure and inadequate civic facilities, Dhaka city is falling in terms of livability," he added.
The minister stressed on regular drills and training to prevent fire accidents.
He also emphasised on increasing citizens' awareness to prevent fire accidents from cigarette fire.
He called for building a social movement from the beginning to prevent fire accidents rather than regretting the loss of lives and property in the fire.
Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Chief Executive Officer Md Mizanur Rahman, Dhaka Wasa Chief Engineer Kamrul Hasan, Fire Service and Civil Defence Director Lt Gen (retd) Md Abul Kalam Azad were among others, present as sat the programme.
