Imran Hussain, a resident of that area, said that despite several fire accidents most of the chemical warehouses have not yet been shifted from Mitford and Armanitola area.
On visiting Mitford, Armanittiola and Chowkbazar areas this Saturday, a number of chemical warehouses and shops were found operating there.
Responding to a question on why chemical traders are not leaving Old Dhaka, Bangladesh Chemical and Perfumery Merchants Association general secretary Shafikul Islam claimed to Prothom Alo over the phone that there are not that many chemical warehouses in Old Dhaka anymore.
MD Ezeer Arafat Khan, associate professor in the department of chemical engineering at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), sees a lack of goodwill on the part of the government as the reason why the chemical warehouses have not yet been shifted.
He said why would they relocate if they were given a chance to run their business in old Dhaka? Tanneries have relocated from Dhaka because the government wanted them to. If they are given scope, no one will move away from old Dhaka. He said, they will go only when their business is closed.