The fire broke out at the Illias Molla slum on Monday gutting 4,000 shanties and leaving about 25,000 people destitute.
The agitated crowd is now approaching anyone and everyone passing by them for relief materials.
Road, Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader promised them 100 tonnes of rice and Tk 1 million from government during a visit on Tuesday.
On Thursday however, the destitute populace was found setting up rickety structures with bamboo, tin and tarpaulin to reside in.
Local MP Illias Molla has arranged meal twice a day for the victims, said a resident ‘Sumi’. “We need to go to his place to bring the food. I am struggling with two children.”
Md Yakub, who sells biscuits, lost a meagre saving of Tk 21,000 in the fire.
“We could not save anything except the cloths we are in. All my savings are gone,” he said.
Many students lost their important educational documents and materials to the fire.
Nupur Islam, who has been living in the slum for nine years, said her children lost their PEC and JSC certificates. The money that she saved for her daughter’s marriage was also gone.
Nazma Akter was found cooking inside her shanty the roof of which is gone in the fire. She managed an overhead shed with a bed sheet.
Her only mean of livelihood, a sewing machine, was gone in the fire.
“What could I save? Children or valuables? There were Tk 60,000 that my son and husband had saved. Now what would I eat? Where would I go?
Yunus, a coconut seller, had bought a month’s grocery before the fire happened.
“Some people are suffering more because they do not want to start begging. We need some help from the government,” he added with anguish.
Demand for probe
Ganasanghati Andolan's Chief Coordinator Zonayed Saki visited the victims on Thursday.
“Dhaka slums often catch fire. This is nothing new. We need to find out the causes through investigation,” he told reporters.
He suggested rehabilitating the victims.
Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal leader Bazlur Rashid also visited the victims.