The day after a building collapsed in Bangladesh, killing more than 230 people, disagreement emerged Friday over whether the owner obtained appropriate construction permits, adding to concerns over worker safety in the country's thriving garment industry.
Rana Plaza's owner didn't get permission from Dhaka's development authority, the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha, to erect the building, said Sheikh Abdul Mannan, a planning member of the agency. It instead got approval from the Savar Municipal Corp., a smaller local board, which has different building standards, he said.
"It is clear from visiting the site that they had violated several construction codes, especially the design code," Mannan said in an interview. "I saw the materials used in the columns and the material used for the rest of the building and it was completely substandard."