While I worked at my workstation in my new office building yesterday, I saw distant smoke rising up in the horizon and helicopters circling around. That was surely not what my colleagues predicted for me to see through those huge glass windows. Unfortunately, I got more than coconut trees to see for once and hopefully I wished, not ever again.
According to the daily news, three people died and at least 50 were injured as a devastating fire swept through the 11-storey Bangladesh Steel and Engineering Corporation (BSEC) Bhaban in the city's Karwan Bazar yesterday morning.. ..
Major Siddique, who went all the way up to the roof around 2:45pm, told The Daily Star that the building itself had a number of fire hazards. Only one staircase and faulty fire extinguishers--all raised the spectre of higher death toll.
This should ring alarm bells in the minds of most office goers. I am no different. Needless to say, the city does have more than just a few buildings with possible hazards just waiting to happen. After an over-bridge collapsed on a car near New Market a few years ago, there was terror in me whenever I would pass under any over bridge in town.
Than, we have the numerous builders building apartments all around the city. No offense meant to them but my dad, who is a civil engineer, had come across a case where there was no fire or earthquake plans made during erection of the monstrosity with disaster waiting to happen.
Now, I am sure there are countries with similar cases around the world. But for a person like me, getting into a lift in a new building is fast turning into an ordeal. It’s a phase I would like to get over. Is the government going to ever find a solution?
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