A file photo shows a portion of devastated Tazreen Fashions Limited at Ashulia, which caught fire on November 24 last year killing 112 workers. The taskforce formed by the Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association to ensure fire safety in the garment factories has made little headway as it is working in a slow pace. — New Age photo

The taskforce formed by the Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association to ensure fire safety in the garment factories has made little headway as it is working in a slow pace.
The BGMEA taskforce visited only four factories in the last one month after its inception, though it had announced to visit 10 apparel factories initially on a pilot basis to develop a detailed project plan.
Taskforce members, however, said that the work of the taskforce was progressing and the BUET Alumni Association was reviewing the structural designs of 10 apparel factories supplied by the BGMEA.
They also said that an ‘invisible team’ working under the taskforce had recently visited two more factories.
Following the fire incident at Tazreen Fashions at Ashulia which killed around 112 workers on November 24 last year, the BGMEA formed the taskforce on December 17 to address health and safety issues in the garment units as the global buyers warned them to ensure workers’ safety and better working condition.
The taskforce comprising three representatives from BUET Alumni Association, five from Fire Service and Civil Defence and one from Labour Directorate started its inspection drive on December 23 visiting four apparel units in the Ashulia and Malibagh areas in Dhaka.
After visiting the factories, taskforce members had said that they had just started their activities and they would work out a realistic work plan after visiting 10 factories initially on a pilot basis.
Khondoker Tazuddin, architect and one of the members of the taskforce, told New Age on Sunday that they had got designs of some factories and now they were scrutinising the structural side of the units.
He said that after reviewing the structural side of the factories, they would give recommendations on the issue.
Tazuddin, also the member of BUET Alumni Association, said that they had held several meetings with BGMEA leaders over the issue and the activities of the taskforce had been progressing.
He also said that the team, which conducted visits on the first day of the taskforce, made no other visit later, but an ‘invisible team’ visited a few other factories.
‘For a smooth functioning of the taskforce we do not want gathering while taskforce team makes visit to a factory,’ Tazuddin said.
He hoped that the taskforce would place a detailed pilot project plan by February.
Md Siddiqur Rahman, vice-president of the BGMEA, said that they had supplied structural designs of 10 factories to the members of BUET Alumni Association and they were working to find out flaws in the buildings.
‘After completing the task, the team will visit the factories and will give a report with suggestions to overcome defects,’ he said.
Siddiqur said that the latest meeting of the taskforce was held on Thursday and a team nominated by the BUET Alumni Association had visited two more factories on Sunday.
He said that the work of the taskforce was progressing and after getting the recommendations from the taskforce, BGMEA would go for implementation.