DHAKA, Oct 19, 2021 (BSS) - The Bangladesh Investment Development 
Authority (BIDA) will lead inspection operations at the mills, factories and 
business establishments to ensure safe working environment there and also to 
find out the reasons for possible fire incidents.

   Based on the available data and information, the government would take 
necessary measures for ensuring safe working environment there and also to 
avert possible fire incidents and other accidents.

   This was informed at a training workshop held at the BIDA Multipurpose 
Hall in city's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area today. The workshop was meant for the 
integrated inspection and surveillance teams to ensure safe working 
environment at mills, factories and business establishments as well as 
averting fire incidents.

   Prime Minister's Private Industry and Investment Adviser Salman F Rahman 
spoke on the occasion as the chief guest.

   BIDA and the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments 
(DIFE) jointly organized the workshop.

   Presided over by Labour and Employment Secretary Ehsane Elahi, BIDA 
Executive Chairman Md Sirazul Islam spoke as special guest at the programme.

   Security Services Division Secretary Md Mokabbir Hossain, FBCCI president 
Md Jashim Uddin, BIDA Executive Member Abhijit Chowdhury, Dhaka Divisional 
Commissioner Md Khalilur Rahman, Director General of DIFE Nasir Uddin spoke, 
among others, on the occasion.

   Speaking on the occasion, Salman F Rahman said that the inspection teams 
headed by BIDA would take data from the field-level to identify the reasons 
for fire incidents at mills and factories side by side the existing problems 
in those establishments. 

   Based on these data and information, necessary measures would be taken to 
address those problems, he added.

   The PM's Adviser asked the inspectors to identify the real reasons for 
fire incidents at the mills and factories through collecting accurate 
information from the field-level and thus finding out the reasons for solving 
those.

   He said based on the available information, the national committee formed 
to avert fire and other incidents at mills and factories would prepare 
recommendations to address those and thus safe working environment would be 
ensured at mills, factories and business establishments in phases.

   Salman said following the Rana Plaza building collapse, there has been a 
revolution in the RMG sector to build standard and environment-friendly RMG 
industries.

   "If environment-friendly industries can be build in the RMG sector, then 
why those could not be replicated in other sectors," he said adding that the 
government would be able to build environment-friendly compliant mills, 
factories and other establishments in other sectors apart from RMG.

   Salman said the government under the able leadership of Prime Minister 
Sheikh Hasina has attained notable successes in the power, energy, 
agriculture and in various economic fronts over the last 12 years.

   "To maintain such continuity of development, there is no alternative to 
building these mills and factories into international standard," he added.

   Turning to the issue of COVID-19 vaccination, Salman said the government 
would bring 30 percent of the country's population under inoculation by 
December this year while Bangladesh has managed well the pandemic compared to 
other neighboring countries.

   Suggesting RAJUK to play more proactive role to attract both local and 
foreign investment, he said the government would respond quickly if any 
investor face problems at the Chemical Village for getting land allocation.

   BIDA Executive Chairman Md Sirazul Islam said that apart from the RMG and 
export-oriented industries, some 46,000 mills, factories and business 
establishments have been identified for inspection. Out of those, some 5,000 
mills, factories and other business establishments at Dhaka, Narayanganj and 
Gazipur would be inspected initially by some 27 inspection teams.

   He reminded of the inspection team members that they would not conduct 
raid at mills and factories, rather they would collect information to improve 
working environment in those mills and factories.

   Earlier on July 15, the government formed a high-level committee to 
prevent accidents in factories, mills, industrial and commercial 
establishments and ensure a safe working environment.

   PM's Private Industry and Investment Adviser Salman Fazlur Rahman is the 
president of the committee.

   The minister for commerce, the minister for industries, the minister/state 
minister for labour and employment, the minister/state minister for housing 
and public works, the local MPs and the mayors of the concerned city 
corporations or municipalities are among 24 members of the committee.

  The functions of the committee include taking necessary measures reviewing 
the observations and recommendations received from the field inspection by 
the responsible authority or committee.