HC forms expert committee to probe Bailey Road building fire

The High Court today formed a committee of experts headed by the home secretary to probe the incident of Thursday night's devastating fire in Dhaka's Bailey Road building that killed 46 people and injured several others.

The committee has been ordered to submit a report in four months on steps taken against the vulnerable buildings in the city.

The HC also ordered Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha to set up signboards on vulnerable buildings in Dhaka so that people can be aware of the risks when entering them.

The probe body includes representatives from inspector general of police, fire service and civil defence, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) and Dhaka city corporations, the HC said in the order.

The HC bench of Justice Naima Haider and Justice Kazi Zinat Hoque pronounced the directives following two separate writ petitions filed by two Supreme Court lawyers Md Eunus Ali Akond and Ishrat Jahan yesterday seeking necessary directives to form expert committee to probe the tragic incident.

The court also issued a rule asking the authorities concerned of the government to explain why their failure to set up fire exits in the Bailey Road building should not be declared illegal.

Lawyer Eunus Ali in his petition sought an HC directive upon the government to close restaurants and business operations in all the residential buildings in Dhaka.

He also submitted the petition as a public interest litigation to the HC, also appealing to the court to order authorities concerned of the government to form a judicial committee in order to investigate the incident.

The relevant laws do not allow any commercial activities in the residential buildings, the petitioner said.

Advocate Ishrat Jahan also moved her writ petition yesterday seeking directives from the HC on the same issue.