The High Court on Monday asked all executive magistrates, authorised officers and inspectors of the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha to appear in the court on August 4 along with the Rajuk chairman to explain what measures they had taken to enforce the safety rules on the buildings under construction in the capital.
A bench of Justice AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury and Justice Gobinda Chandra Tagore passed the order during the hearing in a rule suo moto the court issued on July 24 after newspapers had reported the death of four workers in a carrier lift accident at an under-construction building at Kakrail in the capital on July 21.
The same court on July 28 directed Rajuk chairman Md Nurul Huda to appear on August 4 to explain the state of building safety and compliance of rules. The court passed the order during hearing in another suo moto issued on July 19 in connection with the death of a student on July 16 when bricks fell on his head, reportedly from an under-construction high rise on Panthapath.
On Monday, Building for Future Limited’s chairman Kazi Anisuddin Iqbal, its managing director Tanvirul Huq Probal, deputy project director Sheikh Tanjirul Hasan, project coordinator Gazibur Rahman, manager and construction worker Azgar Ali and Ramna police officer-in-charge Rafiqul Islam appeared in the court after the rule suo moto had asked them to explain their actions as regards safety measures on the construction under the company’s Iris Noorjehan project.
The court also asked the BFL managing director to appear on August 4 but exempted others from being present during next the hearing.
Defending the BFL officers, barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, who is also a ruling Awami League lawmaker, told the court that BFL was a developer company which operated by appointing contractors for building construction.
Taposh also told the court that one Hannan, who was given contract for providing lifts for the buildings, was arrested for the accident.
He, however, said that the lift, which was installed only to carry construction materials, also carried some workers which caused the accident.
The counsel also pointed out that it was Rajuk’s responsibility to supervise all construction works in areas under its jurisdiction.
He also informed the court that the officers of the company were granted bail in the case filed by construction worker-cum-manager Azgar Ali with the Ramna police station over the death of four workers.
In reply, the court said that it would order arrest of the officers if they were not out on bail.
The High Court had summoned the BFL officers in connection with the case filed against the company for the death of workers in the lift collapse.
-With New Age input
