Amu hits back at Barua as war of words starts over Dhaka fire

Immediate past industries minister Amir Hossain Amu has hit back at his predecessor Dilip Barua for blaming him over the devastating fire at Old Dhaka’s Chawkbazar.

He claimed that Barua had been trying to pass his responsibility for the chemical factory fire incident over to him Amu.

“He has just tried to avoid any questions in advance," Amu said at a news conference at his residence in Dhaka on Monday.

The war of words between the two former industries ministers started as Barua, also the Bangladesh Samyabadi Dal leader, had earlier said “If the the succeeding industries minister had seriously taken up the matter of removing chemical warehouses and factories from the area then mayb it would have been easy to relocate them from Old Dhaka by this time.”

He made the remarks on Saturday after visiting Chawkbazar with a delegation from the Awami League-led 14-party Alliance.

Barua was at the helm of the industries ministry during the Nimtali fire in 2010 where over a hundred people lost their lives.

Following the incident, an investigation had recommended that chemical warehouses and factories be moved away from Old Dhaka.

But nine years later the warehouses were still there and contributed to the Churihatta disaster, experts say

At least 67 people lost their lives after a massive blaze broke out at Chawkbazar on the night of Feb 20.

Awami League Advisory Council Member Amu was in charge of the ministry in 2014.

On a question about what steps he had taken to remove chemical warehouses from Old Dhaka during his five-year tenure, Amu said, "A committee led by the BSCIC chairman was formed in an executive meeting where they were given the responsibility.”

 “A place was expected to be selected when I took over the charge. Since then, efforts were made to select the place and negotiate.

"In that case, the BSCIC [Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation] also approved selection of 50 acres of land. But they (owners) did not agree and sign the papers. They did not compromise. They did not want to go to any plots.”

Amu said the factories of Old Dhaka were not under the industries ministry. “There are some fertiliser and state-owned factories in Bangladesh under the ministry.”