Resorts ‘built to burn’ dot Marine Drive

Most so-called eco resorts are made with wood, bamboo, other combustible materials

The deadly fire at Tup Tup Resto & Resort in Inani has exposed the dangers of unapproved resorts mushrooming along Cox’s Bazar Marine Drive. Many of these so-called eco-resorts are built with combustible materials but have inadequate fire safety measures.

Tup Tup had concrete pillars but wooden floors, walls and staircases, while  bamboo and timber were also used, said Dolon Acharya, senior station officer at Cox’s Bazar Fire Service Station.

“These structures were not built in compliance with fire safety requirements,” he said. Many guests became trapped because they could not escape down the stairs, which contributed to the high number of casualties, he added.

Many other establishments along Marine Drive have similar structures, leaving guests vulnerable to fire, while hotels, motels, and resorts have sprung up haphazardly, often without government approval.

Mohammad Shafiqul Islam, a warehouse inspector at the fire station, questioned how a three-storey building could operate as an eco-resort.

“These are not eco-resorts by any means,” he said. “An eco-resort should have adequate open space, and its accommodation units should be single-storey.”

Despite the proliferation of such establishments, government agencies could not provide an accurate count or comprehensive list of those operating without approval.

Engineer Mohammad Jasim Uddin, chairman of the Cox’s Bazar Development Authority (CoxDA), estimated that around 2,500 temporary and permanent structures stood along the 80-kilometre long Marine Drive, including 200-250 permanent ones.

A 2013 master plan prohibits construction within 300 metres of the shoreline inside the municipality and 500 metres outside it.

Consequently, no hotels or resorts have been approved along Marine Drive, Jasim said, although many have been built.

Eco-resorts must have adequate open space, firefighting systems compliant with fire service regulations, and a pond or other water source connected to a hydrant line, he said.

Building materials must also meet fire safety standards, and approval from CoxDA alone is insufficient; clearances from other relevant agencies are required.

Jasim said the authority would soon take action against illegal structures built along Marine Drive in the name of eco-resorts.

The fire service has issued notices to around 500 hotels and other residential establishments to improve fire safety, Shafiqul said, though he could not specify how many were hotels or resorts, or how many eco-resorts along Marine Drive had received notices.

Of the 53 hotels and resorts that applied for fire safety licences this year, 23 received them, while around 30 applications were being processed, he said.

Fire service’s Dolon said establishments that fail to comply after receiving notices can be fined through mobile courts. But enforcement has weakened in recent years, with only a few establishments fined over the past two years.

In Tup Tup’s case, only a warning notice was served and no further action was taken, a fire station official said.

Mokim Khan, general secretary of the Cox’s Bazar Hotel Owners Association and the Marine Drive Hotel Owners Association, said at least 40 establishments used the eco-resort label, many built on purchased or rented land with bamboo, timber or a mix of wood and concrete, often without the necessary approvals.

His association requires members to have trade licences, fire safety certificates and land ownership documents.

Owners of many of the eco-resorts did not seek membership, and the others had no affiliation, he said.

At the site of Saturday’s fire, the search for victims resumed yesterday as families reported 11 people missing against 10 unidentified bodies recovered.

Families initially reported 13 people missing, said Ukhiya UNO Panna Akter, but locals said two young men, Jihad Hawladar and Abedul Islam, might have escaped. Their whereabouts have not been confirmed.Additional Deputy Commissioner Tasnim Jahan, who is heading a district administration probe team, said the authorities were using information technology and would resolve the discrepancy after DNA tests. DNA samples from the recovered bodies have been sent to Dhaka for matching with relatives, said police.

Cox’s Bazar Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Abdul Mannan said the administration was collecting lists of missing relatives from families. The bodies would be handed over after DNA tests confirmed their identities.

Six members of one extended family remain missing: Mithila Mehzabin Alvi; her maternal cousins Lalia Jahan Nabila and Israt Jahan Maliha; another maternal cousin, Fariha Kabir Sabrin; Fariha’s brother, Nafis Tehami Zafri; and Fariha’s son, Faizan Nur.

Four members of another family are also unaccounted for: Nahidur Rahman Tuhin, an official of Grand Power Limited in Dhaka’s Shyamoli; his wife, Afsana; and their daughters, seven-year-old Rubaina and three-year-old Sonaina.

Nasrin Akter Mukta, wife of Faisal, a former joint secretary of the Dhaka district unit of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, is the 11th person on the list.

During its visit yesterday, the five-member probe committee questioned eyewitnesses and inspected the damaged structure.

The committee is investigating the cause of the fire, possible negligence by the resort authorities, the resort’s registrations and other required documents, and whether structural defects contributed to the deaths.

The district administration formed it on Saturday and gave it five days to submit its findings.

Police filed a case on Saturday night against 23 people over the fire, naming resort owner Mohammad Tanvir as the prime accused. Three other people were named, including co-owner Newaz Morshed, said Ukhiya Police Station Officer-in-Charge Atikur Rahman.

Resort manager Zahidul Islam Sumon was detained at the scene on Saturday afternoon and later shown arrested in the case, the OC said.

Six people were injured and taken to Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital on Saturday: Shihab Uddin, 31, a physician at Dhaka’s Mugda Medical College Hospital; his wife, Dr Nafiza Newaz Khan, 29; Mannan, 34; Meherunnesa, 30; Masud, 30; and Samida, 32. Four were flown to Dhaka for advanced treatment that afternoon.

The other two returned to Dhaka after initial treatment, obtaining discharge voluntarily.