The family members of many of the victims of the Tazreen Fashions blaze and the more recent Rana Plaza tragedy are not receiving any financial compensation since they have not been coming forward for DNA tests. Many of them are poor and illiterate, and are discouraged by the complex processes associated with such testing. Family members of victims alleged that the process was being delayed with the intention of depriving them of financial assistance and compensation following the deaths of readymade garments workers in the recent Rana Plaza tragedy. More than 1,100 workers were killed in the building collapse.
According to sources, though the bodies of 291 workers were buried at Jorain’s graveyard as these were “unclaimed”, the relatives of the deceased will never be able to identify the victims’ graves.
Bangladesh Readymade Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) vice-president Md Shahidullah Azim said, “There are still 13 unclaimed bodies in the Tazreen Fashions fire incident.”
However, rights activists have filed a writ petition in the High Court, claiming that 62 people were still missing after the blaze at Tazreen Fashions in Ashulia, a suburb of the city.
“While 112 died in the Tazreen Fashions fire, family members of 99 victims were given Tk. 7 lakh each. The remainder of the compensation for the 13 victims was deposited with the Prime Minister,” the BGMEA leader said.
But as the DNA samples were not matched, it was not possible to hand over the compensation amounts for the 13 unclaimed bodies, he claimed.
However, on June 9, a High Court bench of Justice Kazi Rezaul Haque and Justice AMB Altaf Hossain directed the authorities to take measures for testing the DNA samples of 37 missing readymade garments workers of Tazreen Fashions Ltd. The High Court also ordered the inspector general of police to inform the bench after taking proper initiatives within June 19.
Garments workers alleged that like the Tazreen Fashions tragedy, the fate of the Rana Plaza victims would be the same. According to Anjumane Mofidul Islam, a charity which takes unclaimed bodies, a total of 291 unclaimed bodies of Rana Plaza victims were buried at Jorain.
According to the sources, family members of 449 victims of the Rana Plaza tragedy have been given Tk. 2 lakh to Tk. 3 lakh each from the Prime Minister’s Office. However, nobody knows when the family members of the remaining victims would receive their compensation.
-With The Independent input
