Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday expressed her government's firm stance on relocating the warehouses of inflammable materials from Old Dhaka and other residential areas in the capital.

“Such inflammable materials can't be allowed there. We are looking for a separate place for them. We don't want to ruin their businesses. But no chemical warehouse can be allowed in residential areas,” she said, referring to the recent Chawkbazar fire that killed 71 people.

The premier was addressing the oath-taking programme of the newly elected mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation and 50 newly elected councillors of the Dhaka north and south city corporations at her office in the city.

Pointing at DSCC Mayor Sayeed Khokon, who was present at the programme, Hasina said the Chawkbazar fire incident was very painful.

“The businessmen can keep their showrooms and sell their products there. But we will arrange a completely separate place for warehouses where inflammable materials would be safe.”

She said many people lost their lives in the two fire incidents in Chawkbazar last month and in Nimtoli in 2010. “We will of course relocate the warehouses from the capital and will not let any obstacle stand in our way.”

The PM asked the new DNCC mayor and city corporation councillors to perform their duties showing due respect for the people who kept trust in them.

Hasina stressed the need for increasing revenue generation by the city corporations across the country to serve city dwellers.

“City corporations will have to try to stand on their own feet. They will have to increase their own income,” she said, adding that Chattogram City Corporation had once become self-dependent during the tenure of late mayor ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury.

She put emphasis on continuous cleaning of public toilets, bus terminals, railway stations and other public places in the two city corporation areas in Dhaka.

The PM asked the authorities concerned to develop roads, as well as water and sanitation systems in a planned manner.

She stressed the importance of maintaining austerity in using water and electricity, and urged the city dwellers not to misuse that.

About slum dwellers, Hasina said the government had a plan to construct multi-storey buildings for them so that they could live a better life. They could pay the rent of the flats in the buildings on daily, weekly and monthly basis. The rent would also be affordable, she added.

She said the government would also construct multi-storey buildings for the DNCC cleaning workers like those in the DSCC.

The PM mentioned that construction of four out of 13 multi-storey buildings have already been completed for DSCC cleaning workers.

About the stranded Bihari people, Hasina said the government had a plan to construct flats for them.

There were many Biharis who had expressed allegiance to Pakistan, but the country never took them back from Bangladesh. Now they along with their third and fourth generations are living in inhuman conditions in camps, she added.

“We've already started looking for a place for them. We will construct flats for them so that they can live well.”

LGRD Minister Tajul Islam and State Minister for LGRD Swapan Bhattacharya were present at the programme.