There’ve been innumerous garment factories and heavy industries cropped up in Dhaka. However, the industrial cities and economic zones located outside the capital are almost remaining empty. The old factories are not getting relocated. Furthermore, new ones are being built in the residential areas like Gulshan, Banani, Mirpur, Mohakhali, Uttara and old part of Dhaka city.
These industrial factories have been cropped up in the capital in unplanned ways defying the laws. There have been around 60,000 factories in Dhaka constructed illegally, which are risky and hugely embarrassing as well. According to the uran planners, the illegal establishments built in such unplanned ways might be collapsed any moment. In addition, these are the reasons behind many accidents including fire casualties.
At the same time, those factories are causing various types of pollution, including noise pollution. Amidst all these risks, many families are staying near the factories. But despite all the risks and dangers, there is no government initiative to remove factories from the capital.
According to statistics from Dhaka's two city corporations and the Department of Environment, there are at least 55,000 illegal factories in the capital's old Dhaka area. 85 percent of these are located in residential buildings or houses. Most of the buildings are old and risky. Most of the factories use flammable materials including chemicals and fuel oil. These buildings can collapse or catch fire at any moment. Even though accidents like the Churihatta fire have occurred, the situation has not changed.
Sources say that among the residential areas of the capital, the largest number of illegal factories has been set up in Old Dhaka. Thousands of workers work in these factories amid densely populated, extremely hot, dirty and unsanitary conditions. Thousands of factories have been operating in the surrounding areas of Old Dhaka, including Lalbagh, Hazaribagh, Islambagh, Bangshal, Kotwali, Chawkbazar, Jatrabari, Kamrangirchar, Shyampur, Sutrapur, Kadamtali, Postogola, Dholaikhal, Faridabad, Islampur, Chhota Katra, Bora Katra, Gani Mia Ghat, Soari Ghat, Devidas Lane, Kamalbagh, Posta, Water Works, Shahidnagar, and others for many years. These unplanned factories are not only risky, but have become a serious threat to public health.
Not only have mills sprung up all over Old Dhaka, it seems like there is no area in the capital where factories have not been established. Garment factories are located everywhere, in both residential and non-residential areas, in Mirpur, Shyamoli, Rampura, Basabo, Banani, Uttara, Tejgaon, Jatrabari, Gulshan, Badda, Eskaton, Mouchak, Malibag, Shankar, and Mohammadpur. The garments that are being built in the capital and its surroundings areas without any planning have become a curse for the citizens. The black smoke, toxic waste, and unbearable noise emitted from these factories have become a serious cause of harm to the human body.
Although Tejgaon was once designated for heavy and medium-sized industries in the capital, these industries have now spread throughout the metropolis. Factories that create pollution have now also been built in elite residential areas like Gulshan. It is impossible to understand which area of Uttara Model Town is residential, which is commercial, or which is industrial.
In this regard, Dr. Adil Muhammad Khan told The Bangladesh Pratidin, "The main reason for the increase in the density of Dhaka is these factories built in violation of the law. As a result, accidents are happening, and traffic jams and environmental pollution are increasing. Even though the government has built industrial cities and economic zones for factories, those places remain empty. Instead of building factories there, heavy industries are being built in the busiest areas of the city, breaking the rules."
He also said, "Dhaka, the capital, has become paralyzed because of fires, industrial pollution and accidents due to lack of decentralization. It’s the duty of the state to remove these heavy industries. The state always makes concessions in this area. Due to the lack of proper planning, the risk of danger to the residents of the capital is increasing."
Not only garment factories, but also the relocation of Gabtali, Mohakhali and Sayedabad bus terminals from the capital has been planned and surveyed for a long time, but nothing has been done in this regard. These plans are confined to paper. When accidents happen, they are discussed, but the authorities in charge forget it as time passes.
Bd-pratidin English/Lutful Hoque
