DIPAN NANDY and MOHAMMAD JAMIL KHAN

A leap day comes once every four years -- a moment outside the ordinary, an extra page in the calendar where possibilities stretch a little further.

On that rare night of February 29 last year, friends and families gathered at the different restaurants housed inside the Green Cozy Cottage on Bailey Road.

Then, in the blink of an eye, the flames erupted. Some were reduced to ashes, while others suffocated as the thickening smoke sealed their fate. Forty-six lives were gone too soon.

Today, the skeletal remains of Green Cozy Cottage stand as a grim reminder of February 29, 2024. One year on, justice remains elusive.

INITIAL CRACKDOWN FIZZLES OUT

Following the tragedy, Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) and the Fire Service and Civil Defence launched a crackdown on fire-prone restaurants in high-rise buildings across Dhaka.

Several establishments were shut down, but the momentum quickly faded.

Ashraful Islam, chief urban planner of Rajuk, insisted the effort had not stopped.

“Fire safety inspections are part of our regular activities. After last year’s Bailey Road fire, we conducted extensive inspections, and the Restaurant Owners’ Association assured us they would provide a list of risky buildings. However, we have yet to receive anything from them,” he said.

Regarding Green Cozy Cottage, he added, “The building is under legal proceedings. Until the case is resolved, all activities will remain suspended.”

Imran Hassan, secretary general of the Restaurant Owners’ Association, said they had worked with a committee formed by the former Prime Minister’s Office. “If the incumbent government takes such an initiative, we will cooperate,” he said.

He claimed many restaurant owners ignored fire safety warnings as they were not association members.

A CITY STILL AT RISK

Despite the initial shock, high-rise restaurants across Dhaka -- from Dhanmondi’s Satmasjid Road to Gulshan, Banani, Khilgaon, Uttara, and Bailey Road -- continue to operate with inadequate safety measures.

A week-long visit by this newspaper found many restaurants in high-rise buildings lacking proper fire safety provisions.

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