The deaths of 10 people, including children, in a fire at Tuptup Resort in Inani have exposed serious safety risks at Cox’s Bazar’s tourist accommodation facilities, many of which operate without fire-fighting equipment, environmental clearance or building approvals.
The blaze on 17 October at Patuartek, along the Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf Marine Drive, has prompted renewed scrutiny of resorts and hotels across the district.
Many are built with flammable materials such as wood, bamboo and thatch, while narrow access roads and inadequate water sources could hamper firefighting and allow fires to spread.
Officials and industry representatives estimate that around 90 per cent of buildings in the tourist zone, along Marine Drive and in Cox’s Bazar town lack adequate fire-fighting arrangements.
Some have equipment that is not properly maintained. More than 4,000 multi-storey buildings, including hotels and motels, are considered vulnerable to fire, putting residents and tourists at risk.
Along the 80-kilometre Marine Drive, resorts have proliferated. In Patuartek, about 35 kilometres from the town, more than a hundred resorts and cottages, including Tuptup Resort, have been built without their own fire-fighting systems, fire licences or environmental clearance.
Many also lack approval from the Cox’s Bazar Development Authority (CoxDA) and the district administration’s trade and commerce branch.
Around 500 hotels, motels, cottages, resorts and restaurants across the district are reportedly operating without required approvals.
Widespread regulatory failures
There are at least 2,500 hotels, motels and resorts in Cox’s Bazar. Government agency data show that about 500 lack fire safety certificates and CoxDA approval.
More than a thousand accommodation establishments and restaurants operate in Cox’s Bazar town, Pechardwip in Ramu, Inani in Ukhiya and surrounding areas. Many have obtained only a trade licence from the relevant municipality or union parishad.
Shafiqul Islam, inspector at the licence branch of Cox’s Bazar Fire Service and Civil Defence, said only 50 hotels had renewed their licences this year, while a maximum of 100 applications had been submitted. Previously, around 200 hotels held licences.
“We have issued notices to most hotels,” he said.
District administration records show that more than 200 hotels, motels, resorts and cottages have applied for approval.
Around 50 have been cleared after submitting all required documents; the others have been asked to provide the necessary papers.
Environmental compliance is also poor. Khandaker Mahmud Pasha, deputy director of the Department of Environment in Cox’s Bazar, said no more than 50 hotels in the district had environmental clearance.
“We are taking action as far as our manpower allows and the law permits, however big the establishment,” he said.
Over the past year, the department fined 58 hotels, motels, restaurants, resorts and cottages a total of around Tk 15 million (Tk 1.5 crore) for lacking clearance. It also filed 28 cases against more than a hundred establishments in ecologically critical areas.
Pasha said residential hotels with fewer than 20 rooms generally did not require environmental clearance, while restaurants established at a cost below Tk 3 million (Tk 30 lakh) were also exempt. Some businesses were exploiting these provisions to avoid scrutiny.
Most hotels, motels, resorts, cottages and restaurants also lack sewage treatment plants (STPs), creating further environmental concerns.
Narrow roads compound hazards
In residential neighbourhoods including Tekpara, Nurpara, Peshkar Para, Jhautola, Notun Baharchhara, Baharchhara, Rumaliarchhara, Pahartali, Boilleypara, Ghonarpara and Lighthouse Para, multi-storey buildings stand beside roads only a few feet wide.
The lanes are difficult for even rickshaws to navigate, and nearby water bodies are often absent. Fires could spread rapidly to adjoining structures, complicating rescue operations.
Fazle Rabbi, authorised officer of CoxDA, said the authority was taking action but businesses were reluctant to comply.
“We are taking action. But their thinking is about not complying with the law,” he said.
Abul Kashem Sikder, president of the Cox’s Bazar Hotel-Guest House Owners’ Association, said nearly all hotels registered with the association had the required approvals, but most resorts and cottages did not.
“The administration should bring them under a set of rules and move the tourism industry forward,” he said.
Action follows tragedy
The district administration has cited manpower shortages and poor coordination among agencies as obstacles to enforcement.
Deputy Commissioner M A Mannan said a committee comprising the Fire Service, Department of Environment, Tourism Corporation, CoxDA and district administration had been formed.
It would recommend measures to the Ministry of Tourism, after which the administration would implement the prescribed steps.
Shafiqul Islam said staff shortages prevented regular enforcement drives. Tuptup Resort had received two notices before the fire but failed to install fire-fighting equipment.
“Unless businessmen become aware, it is impossible to prevent accidents by enforcing the law alone,” he said.
Syed Muhammad Morshed, deputy director of Fire Service and Civil Defence in Cox’s Bazar, said resorts were mushrooming without reliable statistics on their numbers. Authorities were trying to extend safety coverage in coordination with the district administration.
Advocate Wahid Rubel, coordinator of Cox’s Bazar Unnayan Andolan, criticised authorities for acting only after accidents and questioned why they lacked an accurate count of accommodation establishments.
Md Rezaul Karim, president of Cox’s Bazar Tourist Club, called for an investigation into how businesses had operated without approvals or fire licences.
The Inani tragedy has heightened tourists’ concerns about resort safety. Cox’s Bazar, a flagship destination for Bangladesh’s tourism industry, faces mounting risks from unregulated construction, inadequate fire protection and environmental violations. Effective enforcement is now essential to prevent further loss of life.