The Fire Service has temporarily stopped the rescue operation in the blast-damaged Queen Sanitary Market building in Siddique Bazar of old Dhaka.
Building owners submitted two designs of the building but Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) has not found any approved design of the building. They are working on the building to regularize the traffic on the road next to the building.
On the fourth day of the deadly blast fire service and police personnel are still at the scene though no rescue operation is going on.
Dhaka Divisional Deputy Director of Fire Service Dinmoni Sharma said on Friday, "No one came today to find out any missing person, that is why we are not operating any rescue operation. We are on the scene to respond to any emergency."
A section of the road in front of the Queen building has been closed since the blast, while commuters and pedestrians are suffering from traffic jams in both the directions.
No one can say for sure when the closed road will be opened.
Ranjan Mondal, a member of Rajuk technical committee, said, "So far, we can manage to install five support poles to strengthen the columns of the building. But we cannot install support pole inside the building."
Mentioning that, "After completing the installation of support poles with each columns we can ensure movement of vehicles through this part of the road," Ranjan Mandal said and added, "The road will be opened only after the vibration of the vehicles is brought to a tolerable level."
Banshal Police Station OC Mujibur Rahman said vehicles are now traveling through the eastern part of the road. The closed road will be opened after the confirmation of the Rajuk technical committee.
Two copies of the building design were found from the owners of the building. The owners of the building submitted designs to the police and Rajuk. A design says the building is 5 floors and in the commercial category. According to another design, the building has 10 floors.
Officials of the Rajuk say that no related documents were found of those building designs.
A Rajuk sources said that the copy of the 10th floor building plan does not have any seal or signature of RAJUK. The copy of the design of the 5th floor building, signed by the authorized officer of Rajuk in 1983 but date is unclear. It mentions a commemorative number.
Rajuk Authorized Officer Ranjan Mondal (Zone-5/1) said the memorial number on the copy of the 5th floor design was found in the registration book of Rajuk regarding document submission and approval. But the file containing the original design and other documents was not found. It is also not known whether the design of the building was modified later or not.
Local people said that the building was initially three-storied, later it was made seven-storied. There were shops from the basement to the third floor. From four to seven floors were used as residential quarters.
