Factory building tilts on another in capital

A six-storey RMG factory building has tilted on an adjoining five-storey residential building in Tejgaon in the capital, the factory workers verbally complained to Tejgaon police on Monday.

Rajuk officials inspected the building at the Airport Road Super Market in Monipuripara and vacated it yesterday, as police informed them.

"We have instructed the factory authorities to examine the building by a Buet expert team within a day or two and we will take necessary actions based on the report," said AZM Shafiul Hannan, a relevant authorised officer of Rajuk.

The factory authorities could not produce a copy of any approved plan or building construction design that houses the factory, Continental Apparels Ltd, and the building owner was not available at the site, Shafiul said.

He said he would serve a formal notice today asking for the plan.

They have not strengthened the building despite Buet's recommendation during the Accord inspection in 2014, he said, adding that they requested local police to make sure that no worker is allowed to enter.

The Accord on fire and building safety in Bangladesh, signed in May 2013, is a five-year, independent and legally-binding agreement to ensure a safe working environment in the readymade garments industry.

The building is loaded with garments machineries on the top three floors and houses warehouses on the first two floors, said Hannan, adding that apparently the tilt, if any, has occurred slowly over a long time.

Md Ashraf Hossain Khan, manager of the factory, said they have been running the factory since 1984 there at two adjoining buildings owned by two brothers Nazim Uddin and Abu Bakar.

As to compliance with the Accord recommendation, he said that they have downsized the number of workers from 1,500 to 421 with 62 working at the said building. 

While visiting the building, this correspondent did not find any separate entrance, inside stairway or passage for the buildings. Rather, it was one large space on each floor, filled with machineries. The building was also mildly shaking as the machines were running. 

"We have written to the owners several times asking for the approval documents but they did not respond. We have proof of such correspondence," said Khan.

Abdullah Al Rajin, a director of the factory, said, "We will act as per Rajuk's direction."