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Most malls in Dhaka run without fire safety

Helemul Alam
Most of the markets and shopping malls in Dhaka are running without adequate firefighting equipment, keeping at stake life and property of owners, tenants and customers.
The Fire Protection Act, 2003 directs all the buildings including the commercial establishments to have sufficient firefighting equipment and conform to measures of public security.
However, most of the commercial buildings, especially the old markets, don't have enough safety equipment, emergency exits and sufficient space between adjacent buildings. Experts say if such a building is in fire, the flames can spread rapidly to neighbouring structures.
A fire broke out on the ground floor of Madina Traders, a chemical shop at Yakub Super Market opposite to Gausia Mart on February 20. Before firefighters doused the flames, the fire caused a loss ofTk 17.8 crore, say owners of the market.
As many as 56 shops were burned down during the fire, which is the latest example of neglect in adopting fire safety measures.
Another fire broke out on February 14 on the fourth floor of Annexco Tower in Fulbaria. very close to the head office of Fire Fighting and Civil Defence. Owners of six warehouses at that market suffered afoUhd Tk 15 lakh IOS dde to the blaze, they inform. Director General of Fire Service and Civil Defence Brig Gen Abu Nayeem Md Shahidullah said both the markets had no safety measures.
The Fire Prevention Act must be included under the provision of mobile court so that action can be taken against the violators. In that case negligence might reduce, he added.
In most of the cases old markets have no fire safety equipment. But the situation of the newly constructed markets is comparatively better, he observed.
He went on saying that according to the fire rules, every floor should have at least two fire extinguishers, hydrant point, water reservoir and a tank on top which will always
contain a certain amount of water.
Every market also needs to receive trainings on safety' net from Fire Service and Civil Defence and should continue it by themselves every month, Nayeem added.
Neyamatullah, owner of Ohi Textile at Yakub Market, who faced a loss of Tk 50 lakh due to the blaze, said the market committee took no initiatives to set up fire safety equipment.
Tapan Ray, owner of Prothoma Fashion, said no markets but two in the area have any fire safety measures.
Vice-president of Yakub Supper Market shop owners association Mohammad Humayun Kabir admitted their lacking and said they are thinking to set up necessary equipment.
Director of working committee of the market Annexco Tower AKM Nasir Uddin said they had fire extinguishers but kept those in the rooms of security guards, office and electricians.
"As construction work of the market has not completed yet we did not place those on different floors," he said. He could not say the completion date of the work although the entire market is running.
Prof Dr Nizam Uddin Ahmed of Buct said most of the city markets don't have fire safety measures, posing serious threat to the owners and customers.
The air conditioned markets are the most vulnerable as those mostly keep close the entire exit but don't maintain sufficient escape routes, he added.
Although situation in the newly constructed markets is comparatively better but there are some markets, which even don't have any stairways to go to food courts on top. This might turn out to be deadly. Prof Ahmed observed.
As the old markets like Gausia have no alternative exits and are highly congested-200 to 300 people may die. mostly in stampede, if any n^ breaks out, he added.
Prof Mehedi Ahmed .Ansari of Buet said Bangladesh National Building Code an Budding Construction Rules. 2008 clearly mention abou fire safety net, which is no enforced properly due to a of monitoring.
Raising auTueness the users is very nK,j? the authorities concerned, he said.