In the wake of the recent fire incident on Bailey Road in the capital, Detective Branch of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police has initiated increased surveillance on upscale restaurants across the city.

The focus is on ensuring proper fire safety measures and assessing emergency exit routes.

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Additional Commissioner and DB Chief Mohammad Harun or Rashid on Monday revealed that steps are being taken to avoid negligence in the aftermath of such accidents. He emphasized the importance of adhering to building regulations and conducting thorough inspections of establishments.

The DB chief highlighted that if proper checks had been in place earlier, incidents like those in Bangabazar, Nimtoli, and Banani's FR Tower might have been prevented.

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“I do not know whether all these restaurants were approved or not, whether the fire service supervised them properly. And the rooms were arranged in such a way that there was no chance of air to pass. If there was proper ventilation, there would not have been so many casualties. Even if there is an accident, people will go to the roof and survive, there was no way to go there as restaurant has been built there,” he said.

"After an incident happens, we grieve, we give knowledge. But if all the agencies in charge do their job, we wouldn’t have to witness so many loss of lives in the past, including the Bailey Road. So this time DMP police and DB police are keeping an eye on various restaurants in the capital,” said the DB chief.

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"We are investigating the compliance of every restaurant with safety standards. We are checking if any restaurants in Dhaka lack fire safety measures. We are also assessing the availability of emergency exit routes. If any irregularities are found, we will promptly inform the concerned authorities for appropriate action,” Harun added.