Months after the Bailey Road inferno shocked the nation, Dhaka’s restaurant scene has slipped back into dangerous complacency, with unsafe buildings packed, permits blurred, and safety all but ignored.
After the Bailey Road tragedy on February 29, 2024, which exposed severe lapses in building safety and restaurant regulation, authorities shut down several eateries across Dhaka, including in Dhanmondi.
But within weeks, most had quietly resumed operations despite structural hazards, illegal permissions, and non-compliance with fire safety standards that persist today.
An internal review by Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk), Department of Fire Service and Civil Defence, and the City Corporation found that although many buildings house multiple restaurants, most fail to meet minimum fire-safety requirements.
Experts warn that glass-heavy designs, narrow stairways, unclear exits, and proliferating kitchens in single buildings create a lethal combination that could replicate Bailey Road at any moment.
Building owners claim they have “permission,” but authorities say most only hold commercial use permits, not restaurant permits, which require separate fire-safety clearance.
Experts insist that a single building should not house more than one or two restaurants because each additional kitchen increases the load of burners, cylinders, wiring, and ventilation demands.
Sat Masjid Road has emerged as a vertical food hub, with 10–15 restaurants operating in the same building and drawing thousands of diners every evening - a trend now mirrored in Dhanmondi, Bailey Road, Khilgaon, and Mirpur.
Fire Service officials say many of these establishments have no license at all.
Some have installed nominal fire extinguishers, but most lack functional suppression systems.
Staircases are often disorienting, obstructed, or accessible only through kitchens - conditions that would trap people instantly in a fire.
At Dhanmondi’s Imperial Amin Ahmed Center, almost every floor contains a restaurant - Secret Recipe, The Bake Stories, Garlic and Ginger, Bucket Carnival, Ambrosia Lounge, The Cafe Rio, Buffet Express, and more.
Each unit has been decorated differently, making it difficult to identify stairwells.
During a fire, diners would struggle to locate a safe exit.
Following the Bailey Road fire, managers say they “strengthened” safety measures, installing fire balls and cylinders and removing gas cylinders from stairways.
LPG is now piped from the ground floor to upper kitchens. But on-site inspection showed that some restaurants still lack essential safety tools.
Building manager Azad claimed they reopened “with permission from the fire service, city corporation and Rajuk,” though authorities later contradicted this.
Across the street, Rupayan ZR Plaza houses several restaurants - Dhanmondi Kebab, Buffet Paradise, The Buffet Empire, Urban Heritage, and others.
Multiple kitchens sit directly beside staircases.
Back exits exist but remain unknown to most customers.
A manager insisted their restaurant was fire service–approved and that burners were used “with great awareness.”
At six-storey Marshall Plaza, Star Kebab, New Chattala Food, Pizza Hut, Dosa Express, Pizza Bun, Cafe Austria, and Old Terrace operate floor by floor.
Yet staircases are narrow, Pizza Hut’s is barely wide enough for one person at a time.
Restaurant waste and equipment clutter floors.
Only a few fire extinguishers exist, and most diners never see the emergency exit through the kitchen.
Architect Mustapha Khalid Palash, who designed the Gawsia Twin Peak building, said he has repeatedly warned owners that the property is being used illegally for restaurant business.
Fire doors have been left open, designs altered, and commercial permits misused.
The developer claims they have a fire license, but only for commercial purposes, not restaurants.
Workers at White Hall Buffet said they “heard” permission was taken but were unsure.
At the 13-storey KB Building and Carey Crescent Tower, high-density restaurants operate without visible fire extinguishers or proper evacuation systems.
Even Crescent Tower, declared a fire hazard and sealed after Bailey Road tragedy, was quietly reopened days later.
Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Deputy Chief Revenue Officer Md Shajahan Ali said Sat Masjid Road’s mushrooming restaurants pose real risk.
The city corporation issues licenses only after Fire Service and Rajuk approval, he said, but acknowledged the necessity of checking whether restaurants exceed permitted use.
Fire Service Assistant Director Niaz Ahmed said only approved restaurants may operate, adding: “All restaurants that are not approved will be closed and sealed. Drives have already begun.”
Rajuk Director (Development Control-1) Md Monirul Haque was blunt: “Rajuk has not given permission to run any restaurant on Sat Masjid Road. Only commercial permits were given. Many people are illegally running restaurants with this permit.”
He added that Rajuk will soon launch mobile courts and instruct the Fire Service and City Corporation to investigate buildings filled with restaurants.
“Risk increases when an entire building is occupied by restaurants,” he warned.
Environmentalists and safety experts say the core issue is not rules but enforcement.
Without coordinated, sustained action across agencies, Dhaka remains vulnerable to another catastrophic fire.
One expert said: “If laws and regulations cannot be implemented, they remain paper promises. In reality, we will see no improvement - only another Bailey Road.”
