Editorial
Nimtoli's woes linger
Relocation of chemical stores a far cry!
Three years down the line, we are perplexed and horrified to see that authorities have taken few steps to stop a recurrence of the deadly fire that engulfed Nimtoli area of old Dhaka. It claimed 123 lives and injured more than 200 others. The storage of combustible chemicals continues to be within the premises of residential buildings dotted all over Nimtoli that serves as a wholesale market for chemicals in the city.
No wonder, why human life is so cheap in Bangladesh. The appeal by chemical traders to the government effectively stopped mobile courts from doing what they are supposed to do, raiding storage depots that were deemed unsafe. So much time has passed, yet no relocation has taken place and no government initiative is apparent in this direction. The failure of authorities to allot land in Sonakandi, Keraniganj since 2011 is in part to blame for this situation. Notorious bureaucratic red tape has helped to slow down the process to a snail's pace and people of Nimtoli are once again sitting on a powder keg.
With little by way of relocation, residents of the locality go to bed at night not knowing what lies in store for them. The chemical business at Nimtoli and adjoining areas are rampant because no trader has been taken to task for the fire three years ago. Unless authorities start to consider loss of human life unacceptable, such irresponsible behaviour is set to continue.
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