Tomorrow (Sunday) is the 3rd anniversary of Rana Plaza collapse, the worst-ever tragedy in the country’s multi-billion dollar ready-made garment (RMG) industry.Different right bodies, workers organisations and left political parties have chalked out various programmes, including discussion, rally and human chain, to mark the day recalling the tragedy.
On this day in 2013, Rana Plaza, an illegally-constructed building at Savar, housed five garment factories, came down crashing, killing, 1,138 people and injuring over 2,000 others.
Relatives and workers organisation will place wreaths in front of the Rana Plaza site in the morning remembering the victims.
They will also place wraths at the graves of unidentified victims who were buried at Jurine Graveyard in the capital.
In a statement, Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) president Mujahidul Islam Selim and general secretary Syed Abu Jafar Ahmed voiced frustration saying though three years have elapsed since the Rana Plaza incident, the trial of those responsible for it is yet to be held.
“The criminals have not yet got exemplary punishment. Even, the owners of the Rana Plaza have been released by this time,” the statement said.
The left party leaders also alleged that the victim workers have not yet received their due compensation. “Many workers are fighting for survival without treatment after getting maimed in the incident.”
They demanded the government ensure exemplary punishment of those responsible for the incident and due compensation for the victims.
Meanwhile, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), a civil society think tank, on Saturday at a dialogue, titled ‘Re-emerging from the Rana Plaza Tragedy: An Account on the Third Anniversary’, at the city’s Brac Centre Inn said the victims are still worried about some issues — missing workers, medical treatment of the injured workers, re-employment and financial support (compensation).
In his keynote presentation, CPD additional research director Dr Khondaker Golam Moazzem Dr Moazzem said some 55 workers are still missing. “Their families did not get support for lack of proper identification of their missing members”
CPD Distinguished Fellow Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, said
“It’s a matter of regret that not a single case in connection with the Rana Plaza tragedy has been disposed of yet even after the three years of the incident,” he said.
