Wednesday, November 13, 2024

Struggle not over yet

Survivors of Tazreen Fire
Struggle not over yet 
Compensation could hardly ease the sufferings of the survivors of last year’s deadly fire at Tazreen Fashions as most of the amount has been spent on their treatment.
The garment unit in Ashulia on the outskirts of the capital witnessed the deaths of as many as 112 workers in the incident on November 24 last year.Of the 1,137 survivors, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) gave 90 workers, who had been admitted to hospital with severe injuries, Tk 1 lakh each in compensation, said sources in the apex trade body on the garment industry.
Many of them said the money was not enough even as payment for their medical bills.
Besides, there were injured workers who had not even received that scanty amount as compensation.
Ale Noor, 35, is one of those who jumped off the third floor of the building, having found no safe exit on the day after the fire broke out. She received injuries to her head and chest and broke her right leg in four places from the fall.
The money she got from BGMEA ran out because of her treatment four months ago and she still needs medication worth about Tk 6,000 every month, Ale Noor told The Daily Star correspondent at her rented house at Nishchintapur, Ashulia.
She also complained that her eyes often overflowed with tears.
Her husband Md Hamiduzzaman has prepared a list of 42 seriously injured workers who live in Nishchintapur.
On the list are 16 workers who did not get any compensation from the trade body.
Hamiduzzaman used to work at a garment factory as well but could not continue with his job because his wife needed someone to take care of her all the time.
He said he had mortgaged a small piece of land he owned in Rangpur to finance the treatment of his wife.
“I don’t know how I will continue her treatment as my house rent is due for two months.”
Another Tazreen worker, Sumaiya, has not received compensation from BGMEA as her mother, panicked after looking at her injuries, rushed her to Mymensingh when the factory was still on fire and so she was not there when the authorities prepared the list of injured workers.
“We raised the fund after the disaster and disbursed all of it to workers, but Sumaiya was not there at the time,” said Jaglul Haidar, additional secretary (health) of BGMEA, when asked about the case of Sumaiya.
She had lost vision in one eye and suffered blunt head trauma. Seeing no improvement in her condition, her mother brought her back to Dhaka five months later.
Running from one hospital to another for three months, Sumaiya finally went to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where doctors identified something of deeper concern — a cancerous tumour that should have been removed earlier.
She is now undergoing treatment at United Hospital in the capital with donations from different individuals.
A study on the health condition of Tazreen workers needs to be conducted to see if there is a connection between the chemical fumes caused by the fire and the numerous complications that the workers are now suffering from, said Saydia Gulrukh, a labour rights activist, who has been working at Nishchintapur since the fire.
Expressing a similar view, Shakeel Akhtar, general secretary of Doctors for Health and Environment, said a medical team comprising specialists in different branches should be formed to monitor the pattern of ailments in the survivors.
“People can develop a diverse range of symptoms from disasters like the Tazreen fire,” he noted.

-With The Daily Star input

Related News

Yunus opens dedicated lounge for migrant workers at Dhaka airport

News Desk : dhakamirror.com In a heartfelt acknowledgment of their invaluable contributions, the country is set to honour its expatriate workers with a new lounge at the Dhaka airport designed to make their journeys more comfortable. Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Monday inaugurated a special lounge for the country’s migrant workers at Hazrat Shahjalal ... Read more

Khaleda’s 10-year jail term stayed by SC

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Monday stayed a 2018 High Court ruling that had extended Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia’s prison sentence from five years to 10 years in the Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Orphanage Trust case. A three-member Appellate Division bench led by Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam ... Read more

JnU students end protests after demands met

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Jagannath University students on Tuesday withdrew their movement, for the construction of the university’s second campus, after the interim government accepted their demands. AKM Rakib, an organiser of the movement, told reporters after a meeting held at the education ministry on the day that they were withdrawing the movement. ‘The government ... Read more

Applications for school admission begin

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Admission applications for grades one to nine in both public and private schools have started this morning. Students can start applying online from 11am. The application process will continue until 5pm on November 30, reports The Business Standard. After the application period ends, students will be chosen through a digital lottery, ... Read more

Grandchildren of deceased government employees now eligible to receive pensions, gratuity

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Government employees’ pensions and retirement benefits have been modified by the government, allowing their grandchildren to receive them in the event that no other eligible nominee is available. In this regard, a notification was released by the finance ministry today, November 10. The amendment comes amid a legal complication in this ... Read more

Entry exam for MBBS on January 17 and BDS on February 28

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The entrance exam for MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) 2024-2025 academic year will be held on January 17, while the BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery ) is scheduled for February 28. The dates were finalised at a meeting today at the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare at ... Read more

BMD Winter outlook: Winter going to be colder this year

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Eight to ten mild to moderate cold waves could hit the country in the upcoming winter, a Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) official stated yesterday. Two to three of those waves could turn into severe cold waves, with temperatures likely to drop as low as 4 degree Celsius, in the northwestern, northeastern, ... Read more

Govt made the decision to revoke Cyber Security Act

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Bangladesh’s interim government advisory council, on Thursday, made a policy decision to repeal the controversial Cyber Security Act. This decision was made at a meeting held at the office of chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus in Tejgaon, Dhaka. After the meeting, environment, forests and climate change adviser Syeda Rizwana Hassan confirmed ... Read more

Everyone must work together to save rivers: Rizwana

News Desk : dhakamirror.com “We must save rivers and stop pollution caused by mills and industries. However, the entire responsibility cannot be imposed on the government. Everyone must work together,” said Environment Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan yesterday. “In a democracy, everyone has a stake. Preservation of the environment will only be successful when everybody participates,” ... Read more

Actress Shomi Kaiser arrested

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Actress Shomi Kaiser has been arrested from Uttara in the capital, said the police. Uttara West police station officer-in-charge Hafizur Rahman stated that she was arrested from a house in Sector 4 of Uttara at around 1:00 am on Wednesday. An on-duty officer at the Uttara (West) police station confirmed that ... Read more

Ijtema scheduled for two phases from January 31 to February 9: home adviser

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Bishwa Ijtema is set to take place in two phases from January 31 to February 9 next year, as announced today by Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury. The first phase will be held from January 31 to February 2, with the second phase from February 7 to ... Read more

Bangladesh sent 9.3 lakh workers abroad since Jan

BSS With sincere efforts by different stakeholders, especially the government, Bangladesh sent abroad 9.3 lakh workers with jobs from January to 2 November this year. “The trend of overseas employment is satisfactory so far and we are expecting to send more remittance senders with jobs this year,” Director of Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training ... Read more

Policymakers unaware of people’s struggles as they don’t rely on public transport, says Road Safety Foundation

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Those responsible for public transport policymaking in the country do not use public transport in the capital, so they do not understand the sufferings people endure, Road Safety Foundation (RSF) Chairman AI Mahbub Uddin Ahmed said today (2 November). The chairman of the Road Safety Foundation (RSF), AI Mahbub Uddin Ahmed, ... Read more

Job aspirants can now try 4 times for BCS exam

News Desk : dhakamirror.com From now a job seekers will be able to sit for Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examinations up to a maximum of four times. This decision was taken at a meeting of the advisory council chaired by chief adviser Dr Mohammad Yunus at his office on Thursday, said a press release from ... Read more

Load-shedding surpasses 1,500MW as Adani reduces generation

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Load shedding exceeded 1,500MW on Friday after yet another power producer, the Adani power limited, cut its production due to non-payment of bills. Grappling with a dollar crisis for more than two years, Bangladesh’s dues to power plants jumped to over Tk 43,000 crore in July. Adani’s outstanding bill stood at ... Read more

DU-affiliated 7-college students block Science Laboratory for 2nd consecutive day

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Students of seven colleges affiliated with Dhaka University (DU) have blocked the Science Lab intersection in the capital on Wednesday for the second consecutive day to press home their demand for a separate autonomous university. They blocked the crossing at about 11:00am halting vehicular movement. Students of the seven colleges — ... Read more

Madrasa student drowns in Cox’s Bazar

News Desk : dhakamirror.com A madrasa student drowned near the beach in Cox’s Bazar around 12:30pm today (26 October). The incident happened at Sugandha Point, confirmed Executive Magistrate of Tourism Division of Cox’s Bazar district administration Md Tanvir Hossain. The deceased has been identified as Mahmudur Rahman, son of Didarul Alam from Banglabazar area under ... Read more

Cyclone Dana turns into land depression

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Cyclone “Dana” over North Odisha and adjoining area moved and weakened North-Northwestwards and now lies over the same area as a land depression. It is likely to move West-Northwestwards further and weaken gradually and will become insignificant, said a Met office bulletin on Saturday, reports UNB. “Light to moderate rain or ... Read more

Maximum entry age for public jobs to be 32

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The government has approved raising the maximum age for applying for public service jobs to 32 years. This decision was made at a meeting of the interim government’s advisory council, said a press release issued by the Cabinet Division today. The current age threshold is 30, and 32 for children of ... Read more

Cyclone Dana heads towards India

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Skies remained overcast all over Bangladesh amidst light to heavy rains accompanied by gusts as the cyclonic storm Dana barreled down the Bay of Bengal towards the Indian coast between Odisha and West Bengal on Wednesday. Forecasters said that Bangladesh has little to worry about as the cyclone was moving away ... Read more