Govt panel recommends closure of Ctg factory

A government review panel has recommended the closure of Maggie and Liz Corporation, a private Chittagong factory, to enable the demolition of its illegally built top floor.

The panel made the suggestion after a two-hour inspection last Friday.

The panel comprises BUET engineers, government officials and representatives of BGMEA, IndustriAll, and European and North American retailers.

It also advised a Detailed Engineering Assessment (DEA) for a clear idea of the factory’s structural integrity.

In April, Alliance prepared a corrective action plan and suggested the factory’s partial closure to the panel.

Initial inspection by Alliance for fire and electrical safety revealed narrow stairs, small exit doors, exit doors with locks and other locking devices.

A basement kitchen that uses wood as fuel, absence of emergency evacuation plans and exit maps on stairs are among other minor violations.

Inspector general of the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishment Syed Ahmed, who led inspection, told bdnews24.com, "We found that the six-storey building's top floor has violated its initial design. So we told the owner to demolish it."

Maggie and Liz owner had also been asked to do a DEA and not to store goods on stairs, he added.

He said the remediation would take around one to two weeks.

Maggie and Liz Corporation Managing Director Md Rafiqul Islam told bdnews24.com that he would soon hire an Alliance-nominated firm to carry out the DEA.

He, however, denied the existence of narrow stairs mentioned in the corrective action plan of Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety.

It is not yet clear whether Alliance and the factory owner will share the wage burden of the temporarily laid-off workers.

Alliance usually pays four months’ wages to workers of fully closed factories.

Rafiqul Islam said that his workers would get full salary during renovation.