Tuesday, November 5, 2024

Savar death toll rises to 554

Rescuers sifting through the rubble of the collapsed Rana Plaza, on Saturday, recovered 20 more bodies from the debris, and, with this, the death toll from the tragic incident rose to 554.
The tragedy struck the eight-storey building on April 24. Recounting the search operation, officer-in-charge of Savar Model Police Station Asaduzzaman, on Saturday, said that 30 more bodies had been recovered from the ill-fated building. Of the recovered bodies, 444 bodies had handed over to their families, while the rest have been kept at the Savar Adhar Chandra Model High School ground, and at the morgues of Dhaka Medical College Hospital and Salimullah Medical College and Hospital.
The search operation’s second phase continued for the fifth consecutive day on Saturday.
The members of Army, Navy, Air Force, Fire Service and Red Crescent Society are taking part in the operation, that began on Tuesday midnight. Heavy-duty cranes, cameras and trained dog squads have been pressed into service.
During search operation, concrete slabs are being removed one by one and the debris was dumped at the Bongshi River, by trucks.
Confusion continues over the exact number of people still missing.
Bangladesh Army has rubbished the allegations of ‘hiding’ bodies of those killed in the building collapse, and described such claims as ‘unfortunate’.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also dismissed such allegations, saying that relatives and friends of those missing and media persons are present at the site, all the time.
Even on Saturday, many people were seen waiting in front of the collapsed building in search of their near and dear ones, with their photographs.
The huge structure came crashing down suddenly on April 24. Most of the victims were workers employed in the five ready made garment factories on the upper floors of the building.
Meanwhile, reputed weekly the Economist said, many other rickety factories have undoubtedly been built as Bangladesh scrambles to meet a boom in demand for its garments.
About the impact of the Savar incident on country’s RMG industry the magazine in an article published on May 2 said, the industry is worth some $20 billion, nearly double its size in January 2011 when the European Union relaxed its trade rules to allow the poorest countries to import fabric (rather than produce it domestically) to be stitched into garments that are sold duty-free in the EU.
“As production shifts from China, Bangladesh expects to become the world’s largest exporter of clothing. Buyers are unlikely to abandon it. Some firms linked to the Savar disaster have promised compensation for victims. The EU says it will push for higher standards. America, which had also been negotiating duty-free access for Bangladeshi goods, had already insisted on better conditions.
Bangladesh’s main advantage is its low cost. Labour is desperately cheap: the monthly minimum wage of 3,000 taka ($38) is less than a fifth of the going rate in China. The lack of environmental protection is a licence to pollute. An adviser to one foreign buyer says there are “no rules whatsoever that cannot be bent”. As a result, retailers’ margins are generous: a pair of jeans is typically produced for a quarter of its €20 ($26) European shop-price”.
Political fallout will probably be limited. Voters and the opposition soon forgot previous disasters. A fire at a Dhaka garment factory in November killed 112. Nor is Bangladesh alone in its wretched safety standards. In September a fire killed 289 in a factory in Karachi, Pakistan. In April dozens of Indians died when an illegally built residential tower tumbled in Mumbai.
Bangladesh’s garment business has growing clout. The BGMEA’s 4,000 members account for four of every five dollars earned from exports. And the industry is tied to the corrupt political system: at least 25 MPs have investments in the garment business. After the November fire, the BGMEA sent inspectors to some of its members’ factories. Four buildings had structural flaws or violated construction or labour laws. Who were the owners? The lobby group’s president, Atiqul Islam, his predecessor and a former vice-president of the association. None was prosecuted.

-With The Independent input

Related News

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

Gold price crosses Tk 1.4 lakh per bhori

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The Bangladesh Jewellers Association (Bajus) today (19 October) increased the price of gold by Tk2,613 per bhori, followed by a price hike in the local bullion market. According to a Bajus statement, 22-carat gold will now cost Tk1,40,061 per bhori (11.664 grams). The new rate will be effective from tomorrow (20 ... Read more

Low pressure likely to form in Bay on Tuesday: BMD

News Desk : dhakamirror.com A low pressure is likely to form over the central Bay of Bengal around Tuesday, Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) said today. In its latest weather bulletin, BMD said rain or thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusty wind is likely to occur at a few places over Khulna, Barishal and Sylhet divisions and ... Read more

Interim govt approves 11-day Eid-ul-Fitr, Eid-ul-Azha holidays, 2-day for Durga Puja

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The interim government today extended the Eid-ul-Fitr holidays to five days, Eid-ul-Azha holidays to six days and Sharadiya Durga Puja holidays to two days for 2025, according to the Chief Adviser’s Office. Currently, there are three-day public holidays for each Eid and one day for Durga Puja. The list of public ... Read more

Two entire families lost to a road accident in Pirojpur

News Desk : dhakamirror.com At least eight people from two families, including four children, died after a private car plunged into a roadside canal in Pirojpur early today. The deceased are Shawon, 32, his wife Amina, 25, their two children Sahadat, 7, and Abdullah, 3, from Bhaijhora village of Pirojpur’s Nazirpur upazila and Motaleb Sheikh, ... Read more

Italian embassy to resolve 20,000 visa applications by December: Foreign adviser

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain on Tuesday said that the Italian Embassy in Dhaka will clear 20,000 visa applications by December as many visa applications had been pending for a long time. “Twenty thousand visa cases have been cleared from Rome. [However] Progress in issuing those visas is very slow. ... Read more

Prof Mobasser Monem appointed as new PSC Chairman

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The government has appointed Dr Mobasser Monem, a Professor of Governance and Public Management at the University of Dhaka, as the new Chairman of the Bangladesh Public Service Commission (BPSC). Along with Professor Monem, four others have been appointed as members of the BPSC. The four members are– Md Suzayet Ullah, ... Read more

Govt urges IOM to evacuate Bangladeshis

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Dhaka has requested the International Organisation for Migration to arrange chartered flights to bring back Bangladeshis willing to leave Lebanon amid airstrikes by Israel on the West Asian country. ‘We have requested the IOM to arrange flights to evacuate Bangladeshis willing to leave Lebanon. But Beirut’s airport is currently unsafe for ... Read more

Flood puts hundreds at risk of starvation

Emran Hossain The ongoing flash flooding puts hundreds of farmer families at immediate risk of starvation in Sherpur district, washing away the rice they stored from the previous harvest and also destroying the standing paddy fields. The divisional office of the Department of Agricultural Extension estimated that the flood affected 97,000 hectares of standing aman ... Read more

Price hikes strain people

Moinul Haque The soaring prices of essential commodities, including rice, vegetables, eggs and broiler chicken, put increasing pressure on the low-income people, pushing them further to the wall. Market analysts have expressed concerns over the unusual spiralling of prices of the essentials, criticising the interim government for its failure to take timely action to protect ... Read more

Four days Durga Puja holiday starting from Thursday

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Bangladesh’s interim government has announced an additional public holiday on Thursday, October 10, for Durga Puja, the largest religious celebration of the Hindu community in Bangladesh, says a press release. During a press conference held on Wednesday at the Dhakeshwari Temple in Dhaka, Mahfuj Alam, special assistant to chief adviser, made ... Read more