Annisul called a press conference on Thursday to clear their position amid allegations that Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and builder Amin Associates of Metro Group are behind the fire.
“Several quarters are saying many things about the DNCC after market in Gulshan caught fire. The press conference has been organised as the matters need to be explained,” he said.
The DNCC is emphasising the interest of the owners’ of the shops in the burnt-down market ‘even after’ signing a deal with Metro Group, the mayor said.
“But I hear many things today. Our first word was that you (Metro Group) will not be allowed to damage the interest of the businessmen while constructing the building here,” he added.
According to the businessmen, the concrete part of the DNCC Market was built in 1962-63 on a seven bigha (1 bigha = 33 decimal). The city corporation allotted shops at the kitchen market portion in 1982.
In 2003, during the then Dhaka mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka’s tenure, a tender was floated to construct an 18-storey building on the land.
As the highest bidder expressed unwillingness to do the job, the city corporation signed the contract with second highest bidder, Amin Associates of the Metro Group.
According to the deal, there will be shops from the first to eighth levels and offices from the ninth to 14th. The city corporation would get 27 percent of the 2,024 shops and Amin Associates will sell the remaining.
The 2007-08 caretaker government postponed the deal and asked Metro Group to raise the city corporation’s share, which was later raised to 37 percent.
But the firm could not start the construction because of a case started by the shop owners’ association of the market.
Mayor Annisul said at the press conference that the proceedings of the case had also ended.
He said the old building was listed as risky. “We put up billboards declaring it risky several times but the billboards were torn down every time,” he said.
Before the conference call, DNCC Kitchen Market Traders’ Association President Sher Mohammad told bdnews24.com that the fire was an act of sabotage.
“Some dishonest officials of the city corporation and the Metro Group are involved with the sabotage,” he added.
DCC Market Shop Owners’ Association Vice-President Zainal Abedin was on the same wavelength.
Asked whether the traders affected by the fire will be rehabilitated, Mayor Annisul said, “We had taken step to rehabilitate them long ago. We sat with them, but the meeting was not fruitful.
“The affected businessmen will be prioritised once a new building is constructed here,” he added.
He said he will set the next course of action after meeting the shop owners.
