Legal steps to be taken against FR Tower owner: IGP

Staff Correspondent: Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mohammad Javed Patwary said relatives of the Thursday’s fire victims can file cases if they want to do so.

“Relatives of the FR tower fire victims can file case or cases on behalf of them… However, if they (relatives) do not file any case, then police will file cases on behalf of the state,” he told the journalists after visiting the damaged FR tower in city’s Kemal Ataturk Avenue on Friday afternoon.

IGP said the legal procedures against the owner of the tower are underway.

Seeing scattered goods and other articles on deferent floors of the multi-storied building, he said the work of removing the damaged goods will be completed by this evening with the combined efforts of the representatives of the owner and the fire service team.

He said a separate investigation team will work for each floor of the building, adding that each of these teams will be led by a sub-inspector (SI) level officer.

Referring to a delegation of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), who already visited the damaged building, he said they (delegation) will visit the building again within a couple of days and inform whether the damaged building is risky.

After inspecting it properly, the building could be re-opened as per their report, he added.

He mentioned that according to the design of the RAJUK (Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha), the FR Tower was given an approval for 18 floors, but the owner constructed 22 floors.

He expressed deep condolence for those who died in the incident and wished for the speedy recovery of the injured.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Md Asaduzzaman Mia, who accompanied the IGP, said that after receiving the investigation report of the police, necessary legal actions will be taken in this regard.

risingbd/Dhaka/March 29, 2019/Nur/AKA