Govt to demolish all rundown buildings: Relief minister

State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Dr Md Enamur Rahman has said that all dilapidated buildings across the country will be demolished and replaced with earthquake-resistant structures.

The junior minister said this in responding to the media's questions on the sidelines of the Bangladesh Secretariat Reporters Forum (BSRF) at the Secretariat on Wednesday.

Japanese assistance will be taken to design earthquake-resistant buildings, Rahman said, adding that the new structures will be designed to resist 7.5 magnitude earthquakes.

He said the existing earthquake-resistant buildings will be re-tested for weaknesses. “They will be strengthened if needed.”

However, he said that the buildings declared as heritage by the Department of Archaeology are not included in the list of buildings to be demolished.

At the same time, steps are being taken to set up shelters and lightning arresters to reduce the loss of life due to lightning, said the minister.