Foot over-bridge demolition didn’t cause New Market fire: DSCC

Staff Reporter  :
The traders and businessmen of the New Super Market are accusing the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) of being responsible for the fire incident, but the DSCC has called on
people not to spread rumors about the fire.
“People from the city corporation were working on breaking the bridge at around 3 am. They did not pay attention to our current line on the bridge. The source of the fire was generated when they were operating a bulldozer on that line. They did not plan anything and as a result, today we are in this situation due to the breaking of this bridge,” President of the New Super Market Owners Association, Moshidullah, told the media on Saturday.
Fire Service and Civil Defense officer Shahjahan Sikder stated that the fire broke out at the New Super Market at 5:40 am and the Fire Service unit reached the scene and started controlling the fire by 5:43 am. Later, the number of units was increased to 28.
Meanwhile, In a statement issued by the Dhaka South City Corporation on Saturday afternoon, it was mentioned that some groups with vested interests are trying to connect the recent initiative to demolish the foot over-bridge linked to the New Market with the fire incident that occurred at the New Super Market. The statement also stated that there is no link between the two incidents.
Meanwhile, the mayor of Dhaka South, Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, dismissed any connection between the demolition of the foot over-bridge and the fire at New Super Market.
However, he did express concern about the repeated occurrences of fires and mentioned that the possibility of sabotage behind these incidents.
“We have requested intelligence agencies and other relevant organizations to conduct a thorough investigation into the possibility of sabotage in relation to the repeated incidents of fires,” he said during a press conference in the capital on Saturday.
The DSCC said, the foot over-bridge connected to Dhaka New Market was declared unsafe last year and a sign was put up declaring the bridge risky and the bridge was closed. But defying risk people later removed the barrier and started using it.
As a result of the official process, the market’s second floor was disconnected from the bridge on the night of 15 April between 2 am and 5:15 am. Consequently, the corporation’s operations for the day came to an end.
Meanwhile, the fire broke out at 5:50am. So there was no apparent or invisible connection between the foot over-bridge operation which was ended more than half an hour before the fire incident, DSCC said.