Salman F Rahman, private industry and investment adviser to the Prime Minister, stated that to decrease reliance on imports, the public and private sectors must collaborate to increase joint ventures in fire safety and security and attract foreign direct investment (FDI).
He made these remarks on 17th February at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) in Dhaka during the opening ceremony of the 9th International Fire Safety and Security Expo, where he was the principal guest.
“The market of fire safety and security has rapidly become larger as awareness and consciousness among people in building infrastructure has increased after some incidents,” he said.
Addressing structural planning to reduce fire incidents, Salman F Rahman said, “Bangladesh’s RMG industry is now the safest industry in the globe.”
“We should ensure preventive measures so that such incidents could not happen in our building, infrastructure, and industries,” he stated.
In his address, ESSAB President Md Niaz Ali Chishty emphasised policy support to increase production and boost exports as well as expansion of the sector.
He said the loss and damages derived from the fire have significantly reduced in the RMG sector due to strengthening fire safety and security compliance.
“The government should emphasise on capacity building of the BSTI and other stakeholders providing NOC and certificate at import stage, and strengthening scrutiny to ensure product quality and standards and curb low-quality products in the country,” he stated.
Brigadier General Md. Main Uddin, the DG of the Fire Service, stated that “fire safety and security is the key component to ensure sustainability and make Bangladesh safer.”
To construct green, LEED-certified factories with adequate fire safety measures, he commended BGMEA and ESSAB for making their jobs easier.
Mahbubul Alam, President, FBCCI; Brigadier General Md. Main Uddin, BSP(Bar), NDC Director General, Fire Service and Civil Defence; Faruque Hassan, President, BGMEA; Md. Niaz Ali Chisty, President, ESSAB; SM Shahjahan, Senior Vice President, ESSAB; Zakir Uddin Ahmed, Secretary General, ESSAB were present at the event.
