Shops, warehouses, and factories storing any of 29 flammable chemicals, will be sealed along with cancellation of their licences, said Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor, Sayeed Khokon.
Sayeed Khokon made the statement while participating in a drive against banned chemicals in the Babubazar Mitford area of Dhaka on Tuesday.
The mayor said: “We agreed with the traders that 29 chemicals are extremely flammable which bear the risk of a fire at any given time.”
“If shops containing such chemicals are found in a mobile court drive, they will be sealed and brought under the law,” he added.
Notably, among the risky chemicals are Ethyl Alcohol, 2 Ethyl Alcohol, Isopropyl Alcohol, Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK), Methyl Isobutyl Ketone (MIBK), and Diacetone Alcohol.
The mayor further added: “At the time of inspection, if these risky chemicals are not found in shops and warehouses, they will be given instant trade licences and other assistance.”
Earlier, DNCC launched a drive against risky chemicals in storehouses and to curb pollution in Dhaka. The government has also planned to move all chemical factories outside Dhaka, to an isolated village, in Keraniganj.
On June 03, 2010, the Nimtoli fire incident which originated at a chemical store in the Nabab Katra locality in old Dhaka, killed 124 people and injured scores.
According to Fire Service officials, different buildings in old town, including Armanitola, Babu Bazar, Mitford, Shahidnagar, Islambagh, and Chawkbazar areas store highly combustible chemical compounds in illegal warehouses.
