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CPD recommends commission for Rana Plaza victims

Star Business Report
The Centre for Policy Dialogue yesterday suggested the government establish a national commission with strong executive authority to solve the problems affecting the Rana Plaza victims and the garment sector as a whole.
Rehman Sobhan, chairman of the local think-tank, said the commission would be headed by a high-powered person with other responsible people from within and outside the government, particularly from the civil society.
"The commission will have full executive authority and
not just oversight responsibility. It will discharge duties on a full-time basis," he said during a dialogue on the Rana Plaza tragedy, at the Brae Centre Inn in Dhaka.
Sobhan said the victims would be able to contact the commission to inform about their problems. "The commission will immediately act to solve the problem."
The noted economist also said the commission would take steps for the better of the entire garment industry.
Sobhan also said there should be full transparency and accountability about the funds being mobilised in the name of Rana Plaza victims from both domestic and international sources.
He urged the civil society to ensure that the voices of workers are heard if the government fails to deliver on its responsibilities.
The government will also need to work on the institutional conditions which created Rana Plaza, Sobhan said.
"This would be our expectation from a democratic and accountable government committed to good governance and addressing the people who have made Bangladesh a highly competitive country in the global garment trade." Mustafizur Rahman, executive director of CPD, said the government would have to see whether April 24 could be declared Workers' Safety Day.
The government could also think of building a memorial at the site of Rana Plaza to honour the victims and a Workers' Safety Centre where workers will be able to get information, he added.
Shirin Akhter, a lawmaker and labour activist, said the situation might have panned out differently if trade unions had been in the factories at Rana Plaza. "The union leaders would definitely protest the forced entry."
She said the country would have to make a longterm strategy for the welfare of the victims, so that the injured and the families of the dead workers do not feel that their sacrifices were worthless.
One participant also called for providing a card to survivors that will enable them to get free treatment in government hospitals.
Participants also called for a permanent centre where they will be able to lodge complaints.
They said long-term treatment should be ensured for the injured, rescuers and volunteers, who are now finding it difficult to lead a normal life.
KG Moazzem, additional research director of CPD, said the government should upgrade the capacity of the labour ministry and the Fire Service and Civil Defence so that they can take on disasters like Rana Plaza collapse.