The High Court (HC) yesterday directed the Bangladesh Bank (BB) to freeze the account of the owner of Tampaco Foils Limited. The Tampaco factory was destroyed in a fire on September 10, leading to the death of at least 39 people. However, the HC said the owner can withdraw money from the account for payment of salaries, compensation, as well as for other benefits of the workers. In response to a public interest litigation (PIL), a vacation bench of the HC, comprising Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Ashish Ranjan Das, passed the order.
The HC also issued a rule, asking the factory authorities and the government to explain why they should not be directed to pay sufficient compensation to the kin of the Tampaco factory fire victims.
It directed the factory authorities to submit to the court within a month a report on how much money had been given to the workers as salaries and benefits.
The HC also asked the central bank to submit reports every two months on how much money had been spent and for what purpose.
The Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST), Ain O Salish Kendra and the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers' Association (Bela) filed the PIL on September 19, seeking its directives to provide compensation to the victims' kin and take steps to arrest those responsible for the fire.
Thirty-nine people were killed and 40 others injured as a devastating fire raged through the Tampaco Foils factory in the Tongi BSCIC industrial area in the early hours of September 10.
 Two cases were filed in connection with the fire.
 Advocate Sharif Hossain Bhuiyan, barrister Sara Hossain and advocate Tanim appeared for the petitioners, while advocate Abdul Baset Majumder represented the factory owner.
 The remains of three more victims were found at the fire-ravaged packaging factory yesterday, taking the toll to 39. The bones of two bodies were found in the establishment around 11am during a rescue operation conducted jointly by the Army and the Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD), said Akhterzumman Liton, assistant director of the Gazipur Fire Station.  The remains of another body was found around 1pm.
 Firefighters and army personnel are working to remove the debris of the collapsed building and heavy machinery.  Titas Gas recently probed the incident and found evidence of gas being used beyond the approved limit at the Tampaco factory.