We are grieved at the terrible loss of lives in the fire at Chawkbazar in the city. It does not seem that the number of casualties has come to a definitive end even after 76-plus bodies have been recovered from the area. That is tragedy of an enormous nature, one we cannot live down.
It is once more the old story of how our citizens die in tragic circumstances and we as a society are unable to come to their aid. This tragedy in Chawkbazar is again a reflection of the measures we have not taken in the past, despite all the reasons behind the occurrence of such calamity, to ensure the safety of people and their property.
No one is yet able to point to the reason behind the fire which has left homes and lives demonstrated beyond measure, though it has been said it was the result of a gas cylinder explosion, probably in a car, which quickly engulfed the entire area.
A particular point in the entire sordid matter is the presence of a chemicals factory which has been described as the place from which the fire leapt and spread in an uncontrollable manner. No one who happened to be in the area was safe. Even those who took shelter in such places as a dentist's chamber were burnt to death. There are reports of people being unable to save themselves because the gates to their buildings were found locked.
As has regularly been the case, the fire service put up a brave effort in trying to douse the flames despite the narrowness of the streets and lanes leading to the area. It was their superhuman effort in adverse circumstances, among which was the city's notorious traffic congestion, which led to the fire being brought under control. One wishes the fire services were able to reach Chawkbazar in good time, but that was made extremely difficult by circumstances. We understand that helicopters were at one point brought in to spray water from above.
And here comes the very crucial question of what needs to be done about a modernizing of the nation's fire services. It appears that helicopters are being used in a number of ways in the country. But what we need now, in light of the Chawkbazar fire, is for helicopters to be added to the fire service department. Given that our streets are extremely narrow and make it very difficult for fire service trucks to reach the places of tragic occurrence, it is imperative that the government go immediately into a restructuring of the fire service through adding helicopters tasked with dousing fires from the air.
The tragedy is once again a clarion call to the authorities to go into action against elements who have, despite instructions to the contrary, kept operating chemical and other factories in residential areas in the old part of the city. They must see if any political influence has prevented these factories from being shut down.
An entire nation is in mourning today. The loss of lives, the destruction of property and the efforts needed to rehabilitate those affected, including the scores of people who have been injured in the fire, are matters that must exercise minds in the administration.
We offer our condolences to the families of those who have died. We pray that those who have been injured get back to normal lives as early as possible.
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