Dhaka:
Bangladesh authorities on Thursday suspended the mayor of Savar town for approving and failing to shut a garment factory block which collapsed last week killing at least 429 people.
Mohammad Refayet Ullah was suspended because his office had approved the eight-storey Rana Plaza and then failed to take action when cracks appeared in its structure a day before the tragedy, the country's local government secretary said.
Ullah, who for the last 14 years has been the mayor of the satellite town, home to scores of garment factories, is the highest official to be suspended for the country's worst industrial disaster.
"He approved the lay-out of the building as the mayor of Savar Municipal Corporation. He even did not seal off the building despite knowing that cracks appeared in the structure a day before the collapse," Abu Alam Shahid Khan told AFP.
Khan said legal actions would be taken against the elected mayor for the "faulty" approval process.
Experts inspecting the site said contractors had used shoddy construction materials and the building was put on a filled-up pond in a flagrant violation of the country's construction laws.
The government has also suspended two engineers for the faulty approval of the building and giving an all-clear for factories to re-open after cracks appeared in the structure a day before the April 24 tragedy.
Army spokesman Major Mahmud, who uses one name, said the death toll in the disaster was now 429, with 2,437 people rescued alive.
Mohammad Refayet Ullah was suspended because his office had approved the eight-storey Rana Plaza and then failed to take action when cracks appeared in its structure a day before the tragedy, the country's local government secretary said.
Ullah, who for the last 14 years has been the mayor of the satellite town, home to scores of garment factories, is the highest official to be suspended for the country's worst industrial disaster.
"He approved the lay-out of the building as the mayor of Savar Municipal Corporation. He even did not seal off the building despite knowing that cracks appeared in the structure a day before the collapse," Abu Alam Shahid Khan told AFP.
Khan said legal actions would be taken against the elected mayor for the "faulty" approval process.
Experts inspecting the site said contractors had used shoddy construction materials and the building was put on a filled-up pond in a flagrant violation of the country's construction laws.
The government has also suspended two engineers for the faulty approval of the building and giving an all-clear for factories to re-open after cracks appeared in the structure a day before the April 24 tragedy.
Army spokesman Major Mahmud, who uses one name, said the death toll in the disaster was now 429, with 2,437 people rescued alive.
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