Dhaka South City Corporation’s (DSCC) probe committee has said that the burnt Wahed Mansion in Churihatta cannot be used as yet. It has also called for a Detail Engineering Assessment (DEA) of the building. After the DEA report, retrofitting has to be carried out. Until this is done, the building cannot be used, RAAJUK has decreed.
The committee has also said that for the other four buildings, which were damaged on the front, can be used after repair and an approval from RAJUK.
These recommendations were made to DSCC mayor, Sayeed Khokon, in a report handed over on Sunday (Mar 3).
DSCC mayor Sayeed Khokon said, “I have received the report; Wahed Mansion needs to undergo certain engineering tests and we are working to that aim.”
The report suggests discarding burnt columns of the Wahed Mansion, calling for an overall casting of the building plus inspection of all slabs, beams and columns.
Professor Mehedi Ahmed of BUET, says, “We are investigating if the building can be kept or not; if it remains then it has to be retrofitted.”
After the Feb 20 at Old Dhaka, RAJUK asked the probe committee to make a list of all roads and houses in old Dhaka. The Churihatta fire killed 67 person on the spot with six others dying in hospital later on.