Photo : Collected
Extensive damage has occurred to public and government properties, disrupting the lives of students and the general public, cantered around the quota reform movement. Government properties such as Metro Rail stations, toll plazas of the Dhaka Elevated Expressway and flyovers, Setu Bhaban, Disaster Management and BTV buildings, and DNCC and DMP establishments have suffered damage worth nearly Tk 2000 crore due to vandalism, looting, and arson. However, none of these structures are insured with the government insurance company, Sadharan Bima Corporation (SBC).
Apart from these mega projects, the Directorate General of Health Services, Mirpur Indoor Stadium, and Fire Service stations have also suffered damage from vandalism, looting, and arson. Additionally, the Regional Passport Office and City Corporation building in Narayanganj, Narsingdi District Jail, municipality and union council offices, as well as various police outposts and traffic boxes in different locations, have been damaged. None of these have any insurance with SBC.
As a result, no significant insurance claims have been filed as of Sunday (July 28), according to Mohammad Abdul Matin, Assistant General Manager of SBC's Dhaka Zonal Office. He said that after learning about the damage to government establishments through media reports, they contacted the relevant institutions but received no response.
Even more discouraging news came from speaking to SM Shah Alam, General Manager of SBC's Claims Department. He told The Daily Messenger, “No insurance has been taken with Sadharan Bima Corporation for Metro Rail, flyovers, or major government buildings. If there had been insurance, the government would have quickly received compensation. SBC has repeatedly demanded that the government make insurance mandatory for government buildings, but the government has not heeded this until now.”
Another General Manager (Reinsurance Department) of the SBC, Bibekananda Saha, told The Daily Messenger, “So far, claims for two damaged vehicles of Bangladesh Biman have come in. If government institutions had insurance, claims would have come to me.”
Captain (Retired) Hasib Hasan Khan, Manager of Operations and Maintenance Department of First Dhaka Elevated Expressway (FDEE) Company Limited, informed the media that the Banani and Mohakhali toll plazas of Dhaka Elevated Expressway have suffered an estimated loss of Tk 50 crore due to fire.
Mahfuza Akter, General Manager of Bangladesh Television's (BTV) Dhaka centre, has claimed that Tk 400 crore worth of damage occurred due to the attack, vandalism and arson at BTV's Rampura building. She presented this damage information in a case filed with Rampura Police Station.
Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Mayor Md. Atiqul Islam has claimed that about Tk 205 crore worth of damage occurred due to vandalism and arson of 47 vehicles at several regional offices of DNCC.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police has reported that the Traffic Deputy Commissioner's office in Gulshan, along with AC Ramna, Rampura, Mohakhali and Uttara offices were set on fire. Additionally, at least 54 traffic police boxes across Dhaka city were burned, causing damage of about 4.5 crore taka.
55 vehicles parked in front of the Setu Bhaban in Mohakhali were set on fire. The fire burned the Bangabandhu corner, reception centre, auditorium, and day-care centre located on the ground floor of the Setu Bhaban. Valuable items from the building were looted. In a case related to this incident, the caretaker of the Setu Bhaban, Robiul Islam, has claimed that the Setu Bhaban suffered damage of about Tk 300-400 crore.
Additionally, 53 cars and 16 motorcycles were completely burned in the fire set in front of and in the basement of the Disaster Management building in Mohakhali. The building's electrical substation, server, Emergency Response Coordination Centre, and office equipment were also damaged. In total, the damage to the Disaster Management building amounts to Tk 400 crore.
Ticket vending machines, computers, printers, and schedule display monitors at Metro Rail's Mirpur-10 and Kazipara stations were broken. Access control gates were damaged. Five cases were filed with Mirpur Model Police Station in Dhaka regarding this incident. In the statements of 4 of these cases, the total amount of damage to Metro Rail was shown as Tk 400 crore 65 lakh.
Messenger/Fameema
