Mirpur slum fire: No relief for victims in three days

The victims of Mirpur slum fire are becoming desperate as the relief materials promised by the government are yet to reach them although three days have passed since the fire brought havoc on them.

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. 

When approached by bdnews24.com, they complained that not a penny has reached them in the past three days.

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.

“You can save at least something when it rains or a flood occurs. But I have lost even the salary that I got two days back, that money I got for doing overtime,” Islam wailed.

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.

“These people are labourers. They keep this city going. So proper arrangements must be made to ensure their wellbeing.”

He suggested rehabilitating the victims.

Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal leader Bazlur Rashid also visited the victims.