Minister of National Planning and Infrastructure Mohamed Aslam reveals the formulation of new guidelines has been carried out to improve the construction industry.
At a meeting held in the ministry with representatives from the construction industry and parents of the Bangladeshi child Raushan Jian who was killed from a falling cement bag at a construction site, Minister Aslam said she was killed due to negligence of safety and precautionary measures. He said such an incident must not be repeated again in the future.
Minister Aslam said the ministry has carried revisions and formulation additional guidelines to better the monitoring and supervision in the sector. The minister said the administration has not forgotten about Jian's death and said it is an important safety lesson for the people working in the sector. He said over 615 construction sites have been inspected ever since and 218 of these sites have been visited twice by officials.
Jian's parents expressed their grief over the death of their 8-year-old daughter and said she had a bright future and they had big dreams for her. The parents said their grief has yet not diminished.
Eight-year-old Raushan Jian died in December 2018 after succumbing to her injuries while battling for her life in intensive care at the state-run Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH), after a cement bag fell from a construction site being built by W Construction Private Limited. The administration took action against W Construction following the incident.
Following the incident, the planning ministry also formulated a regulation detailing safety measures, general responsibilities of contractors, building owner's responsibilities and punishments and fines following negligence.