In this Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013 photo, Bangladeshi man Ansar, who uses one name, reacts at his home near the gutted Tazreen factory on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Two months after his wife and daughter were killed in a fire at the Bangladeshi garment factory, 55-year-old Ansar is scrambling to survive. Ansar has been unable to pay his rent for two months and fears that if he gets evicted and is forced to return to his home village in the impoverished north, he may never be compensated. The fire drew international attention to the conditions that garment workers toil under in Bangladesh, where the $20 billion-a-year textile industry is incredibly powerful and politically connected. (AP Photo/A.M.Ahad)
Bangladesh fire victims' families wait for money
In this Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013 photo, Bangladeshi man Ansar, who uses one name, reacts at his home near the gutted Tazreen factory on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Two months after his wife and daughter were killed in a fire at the Bangladeshi garment factory, 55-year-old Ansar is scrambling to survive. Ansar has been unable to pay his rent for two months and fears that if he gets evicted and is forced to return to his home village in the impoverished north, he may never be compensated. The fire drew international attention to the conditions that garment workers toil under in Bangladesh, where the $20 billion-a-year textile industry is incredibly powerful and politically connected. (AP Photo/A.M.Ahad)
By JULHAS ALAM
Associated Press /
January 24, 2013
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‘‘I am just waiting. They told me to wait until end of this month for the test result,’’ he said.
Activists criticized the government, the garment industry and the factory for keeping important information secret, including the names of the victims of the fire and who has received compensation.
‘‘Who died, who got compensated, who not? We don’t have any clear idea,’’ said Kalpona Akter of the Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity. ‘‘There should not be any plot to play hide-and-seek.’’
She said the major Western brands that produced clothing in the factory have a responsibility to come to Bangladesh to check on the compensation situation. She also raised concerns about the DNA testing process.
‘‘We don’t know why it’s taking too much time. If time is required, fine, but there should be proper reasons ... that should be explained,’’ she said.
Ahedul, a mechanic who lost his wife in the fire but could not identify her body, said he has no idea what is happening with his claim.
‘‘I have been asked to stay calm by the BGMEA,’’ said Ahedul, who uses only one name. ‘‘They told me they will come to me. I don’t need to go to them.’’
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