When will we wake up?
GBNEWS24DESK//
Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) mayor Md Atiqul Islam yesterday showed his resentment over the lack of safety measures in ongoing development works under different projects in the capital.
Mayor said they will take action if anyone works on any project without ensuring safety measures.
“I did not see any safety measures at the project sites of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) on August 16 just a day after the accident that killed five people. When will the authorities pay attention to safety measures?” the mayor asked in a meeting with all the stakeholders at Nagar Bhaban.
The mayor said they are repeatedly asking for proper safety measures on project sites but to no avail.
The contractor who is working there will have to ensure all kinds of safety measures, not only verbally or on paper, but rather they will have to apply it during their work, the mayor said.
How many lives will have to be lost before the authorities to pay attention to the issue? The government cannot be embarrassed due to this anymore. The people cannot be made to suffer.
At the beginning of the meeting, he showed a 10-minute video clip of a crane lifting goods as part of the construction work of the elevated expressway at Shewra, with vehicles moving underneath.
“Where are the safety measures here? You have to ensure them in practice, not just in papers,” the mayor said after showing the video sent to him by State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam.
Mentioning the falling of an iron rod on a private car during a BRT work on Saturday at Gazipur, the mayor said these incidents are embarrassing to the government.
“How many lives will have to be lost before the authorities to pay attention to the issue? The government cannot be embarrassed due to this anymore. The people cannot be made to suffer,” said the mayor.
Enforcement of rules is the most important need in the capital’s development activities. But in this case, we fell behind.
He also said they will take action if anyone continues to work on such projects without safety measures.
“I will make surprise visits at different spots along with our magistrates and we will take action if we find any irregularities,” he added.
MAN Siddique, managing director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL), said they maintain an international standard of safety measures during the construction of the metro rail.
“Accidents occurred during BRT works more than once and it is necessary to inform the people of the contractors responsible for such incidents,” he added.
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