A life lost due to negligence

Poet Abdul Basit Mohammad succumbed to injuries yesterday morning at Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital, after he got hurt falling into an under-construction drain in Sylhet city's Amberkhana area on Monday evening.

The drain was being constructed by the Sylhet City Corporation (SCC) and like many other projects of SCC, no safety procedures were being followed at the site, said residents and cultural activists.

Criticising SCC for not maintaining safety protocols at under-construction sites, they said for years, almost all city roads and drains are being repaired. But while carrying out the construction works, the city authority never follows safety measures to avert possible accidents.

"We never saw the city corporation or the contractor of their development projects follow such protocols. This blatant negligence claimed the life of a renowned poet," said Abdul Karim Kim, coordinator of Sankhubdho Nagorik Andolon in Sylhet.

"Meanwhile, we regularly see media reports of the mayor and corporation officials visiting and monitoring these development projects. Though it's their responsibility to enforce and ensure safety procedures, they never did it," he said.

Kim, also general secretary of Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon's (Bapa) Sylhet chapter, said the city corporation cannot disavow their responsibility this time. Those responsible for the poet's death must be punished and his family must be compensated.

Contacted, SCC Chief Engineer Nur Azizur Rahman, said, "Unfortunately, neglecting safety protocols during construction has become a practice in public procurement for decades and we never took the matter seriously. Even though the Public Procurement Rules dictate that safety must be ensured."

He informed that the city corporation has formed a probe committee to look into the matter.

The three-member committee led by SCC Chief Revenue Officer and Executive Magistrate Bijon Kumar Singha will submit its report in three working days.

"We are deeply concerned and all contractors have been notified to follow safety protocols strictly. Necessary steps will be taken against those found responsible in the probe body's report," assured the chief engineer.

But a life has already been lost due to this negligence, said aggrieved city residents.

Poet Basit was 65. He left behind his wife, two daughters, a son and numerous well-wishers to mourn his death.

He was laid to his rest at Manikpir Graveyard after a namaz-e-janaza at Chowkidekhi Mosque after the Asar prayers yesterday.