The fate of DNA test to know the identities of dead bodies of Rana Plaza victims hangs in the balance as the apparel apex body and the government are allegedly trying to shift the responsibility of bearing the cost for the purpose onto each other, sources said.
According to an estimate, around Tk 5.0 million is required for carrying out the DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) test for some 100 dead bodies that were recovered from rubbles of the multi-storied building at Savar. The building-collapse left at least 1,130 people killed and about 1,800 others injured.
Both the sides are still in a process of exchanging letters and documents and pushing each other for bearing the cost of the DNA test even nearly two months after the tragedy.
As a result, the families of the victims are still in the dark about whether they would either be able to know the identity of their near ones or get compensation money.
Sources said uncertainty over funding will further delay the DNA profiling process and the payment of compensation to the victims' families as well.
On May 27, the National Forensic DNA Profiling Laboratory (NFDPL) of the Dhaka Medical College, in a letter to the Deputy Commissioner of Dhaka, sought the funds for DNA testing while the next day the former wrote to the ministry of labour and employment (MoLE) in this regard.
On June 12, the MoLE wrote another letter to the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), urging it to provide the money.
The letter issued by the MoLE said each sampling needs Tk 5,000 and approximately 1,000 samples need to be tested.
"An amount of Tk 5.0 million will be needed for DNA profiling of 1,000 samples," the letter said.
"We have requested the BGMEA to arrange the money for DNA testing as it did the same in case of Tazreen fire victims," Labour Secretary Mikail Shipar told the FE recently.
But the BGMEA sources said a buyer contributed the money worth Tk 0.5 million for DNA testing of unidentified dead bodies of the 53 Tazreen fire victims, not the association.
BGMEA vice president Md Shahidullah Azim said the association will request the concerned authority to provide the money from the PMO fund.
When asked why the association is trying to collect the money from the PMO fund, the BGMEA leader said it is because of a co-ordinated effort to see that none is deprived.
"The PMO has all the documents and it is doing all the necessary works related to compensation and other things," he added.
Sources said the Tazreen incident involved less money while the magnitude of the Savar disaster is huge.
But none including the government, the BGMEA and the buyer groups is coming forward to take the responsibility in this regard as it needs much more money compared to that of Tazreen, they added.
Thirty seven garment workers out of 47, burnt beyond recognition in the Tazreen fire on November 24 last year, have been identified through DNA profiling.
Nazma Akhter, a labour activist said both the government and the BGMEA should stop shifting of responsibility to each other.
"The workers died not because of their faults. Both the garment owners and a section of dishonest officials in government bodies are responsible for the collapse of the building," she said. Both the BGMEA and the government have to take the responsibility in this regard for the speedy identification of those dead workers, she said.
She also called for speedy efforts to give compensation to the families of the victims.
Of the Rana Plaza collapse victims, 291 unidentified bodies out of 318 were buried at Jurain graveyard and samples of hair, teeth and nail were collected for the DNA testing by the NFDPL.
The remaining 27 bodies were handed over to relatives as per their claim while 10 bodies were again handed over to the concerned authority after finding the claimed ones alive. The process of collecting samples of those 10 bodies is going on, according to the NFDPL.
About 544 blood samples of family members and relatives of 291 dead bodies have been collected until June 16 and every day the NFDPL is collecting samples from the relatives.
The NFDPL sources said the result of DNA testing might take six months while the blood sampling takes less time.
Tuesday 18 June 2013
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