Dhaka at risk

There are laws, there are codes which are to be followed while constructing a building, but is there any effective mechanism to ensure that the construction companies complied with them? If they had been found with irregularities, then do we know whether they had been punished or whether any precautionary measures had been taken to ward off any recurrence. We want to know. Do those who are living in high-rise apartments in various parts of the city know how safe or unsafe their abodes are? Have the builders given them any safety guarantee? We want to know that, too.

Someone going to buy an apartment ought to know a few things. Though the estate agents usually mention in their promotion booklets that the buildings are foolproof, we don't know whether there is a mechanism in the government to authorise such claims. All these thoughts, all these questions crop up only because tales of malpractices and corruption plaguing the construction sector have often been heard. But seldom has anything been done to set things right. Let's have some concrete answers to the questions raised. As part of a tangible action-plan, we would like to see steps taken to strengthen flawed and weak buildings in Dhaka and Chittagong so as to minimise the risks of damage if, God forbidding, a strong earthquake strikes.

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