Govt deadline for relocating dangerous Old Dhaka warehouses expires Tuesday; extension likely

By AKM Moinuddin

Dhaka, Aug 16 (UNB) – The government has apparently stepped back from its firm commitment to relocate the warehouses storing dangerous and corrosive chemicals in the old part of Dhaka City within the deadline it had set earlier, which expires on Tuesday.
Considering factors on the ground, the government now wants to review its decision and give some more time to the businessmen for relocating their warehouses of inflammable chemicals to safer locations.
“We’ll sit together with businessmen and parties involved with the issue tomorrow (Tuesday)…we’ll take decision based on practicality,” Industries Minister Dilip Barua told UNB.
Earlier on August 3, Dilip Barua in a harsh reminder to the businessmen of Old Dhaka said the government would not tolerate the storage of highly risky chemicals in such a densely populated area from Tuesday, August 17, in the interest of public safety.
State Minister for Law Qamrul Islam on the same day also came down heavily on the businessmen and sharply criticized the role of businesspeople, saying that they had not taken any of the significant steps they had pledged earlier.
After the devastating fire at Nimtoli that claimed 127 lives, the government announced plans to relocate chemical warehouses out of Old Dhaka by August 17. The government has also formulated some strict guidelines for businesses that use flammable chemicals.
The government insists it is not ‘stepping back’ from its commitment to breaking the coexistence of the highly dangerous chemicals with so many people crammed into a small area in Old Dhaka, though it wants to extend the deadline for relocating warehouses to safer places.
Asked about the probable expansion of the deadline, Barua said the decision would be taken in the meeting. “We can’t say anything until the discussion is over.”
The meeting will take place at about 11am at the conference room of the National Productivity Organization (NPO) in the ministry.
Leaders of Bangladesh Chamber of Industry (BCI) and businessmen of Old Dhaka and related people will join the meeting.
Talking to UNB, BCI president Shahedul Islam Helal said things are moving in the right direction, and the problems will be solved.
“A number of developments have been in place since the last meeting. Problems will be solved…if the government gives us time,” he said.
Helal, also president of Bangladesh Plastic Goods Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BPGMEA) said the government has already identified 20 types of chemicals which are considered as dangerous and explosives.
“As the government has already given businessmen a guideline indicating what type of chemical warehouses will have to be relocated, it will be easier to relocate these chemicals to safer places,” Helal said.
Ministry sources said the businessmen might get the deadline extended till Eid-ul-Fitr , even though they are more likely to ask for another 2-3 months in the meeting.
The government does not want to fall into a fresh deathtrap and does not want to take any risk and it will go for legal actions against the businessmen who will violate the fresh deadline likely to come out tomorrow’s meeting.
The meeting will also discuss resolving the problems of businessmen in Old Dhaka. The Industries Minister may come up with guidelines for Old Dhaka businessmen to solve their problems.
Old Dhaka businessmen are likely to place a demand to the government for a separate zone for relocating the risky chemical warehouses.
Sources said the entire chemical business community is passing through a hard time. There has been a drop of nearly 40-60 percent in the import of chemicals in recent days as panic gripped the sector.
On the other hand, Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) on Monday demanded an extension of the deadline to relocate the warehouses.
In a statement issued on Monday the DCCI said: “We believe that it is not practical to relocate these chemical warehouses in such brief period of time.”
It says relocation process also requires systematic planning. “We demand an extension of the deadline till September 17.”
END/UNB/AKM