Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) task force has disconnected the utility service lines to 29 chemical and plastic warehouses at the Old Dhaka as part of the ongoing drive against illegal storing facilities.
Three teams of the task force snapped the gas and electricity connections at Old Dhaka’s Nazirabazar, Siddikbazar, Tantibazar and Chawbazar during their two and a half hour drive starting from 11am on Monday (Mar 4).
DSCC official Asaduzzaman, who is in team-4 of the task force, told Bangla Tribune that they didn’t carry out any raids on Monday.
Officials from the Department Of Explosives, Department of Environment, Dhaka District Administration, Titas Gas, Dhaka Wasa, DPDC, Fire Service and relevant polices stations are accompanying the DSCC officials in the eviction drive.
Old Dhaka, one of the largest trading hubs in the capital, is home to nearly 4,000 chemical warehouses. Among them, 850 have been labelled as risky by authorities and almost none of them have permits.
These warehouses, the majority of which are in residential buildings, store highly flammable chemicals with zero fire safety.
Old Dhaka and its infamous warehouses are once again in forefront of discussion after the Feb 20 Chawkbazar fire which has claimed 71 lives so far.