Even After the Korail Slum Fire Is Extinguished, Social Media Still Burns Over the ‘Hi-Tech Park’ Issue
Korail slum — Dhaka’s largest slum, spread across 90 acres between Gulshan and Banani — saw around 1,500 homes burn down on Tuesday night, 25 November. The fire started in the evening, and by 10:35 pm, firefighters brought it under control with efforts from 19 units.
Although the flames were extinguished at night, another kind of fire broke out on social media. By noon, that fire had gone “viral.” Investigations show that Facebook’s algorithm amplified user-driven outrage, primarily fueled by remarks made a year earlier during a seminar on ICT sector reforms, organized on 9 November 2024 at the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industries in Motijheel.
The controversy centers around comments made last year by Syed Almas Kabir, Vice President of the Gulshan Society and former President of BASIS. Almost exactly a year later, on 25 November, around 9:14 pm, former Bangladesh Chhatra League General Secretary Golam Rabbani — currently barred from political activities due to alleged involvement in crimes against humanity during the July uprising — shared that old remark alongside the burning slum, asking: “Should thousands of people lose their homes and livelihoods for the construction of a Hi-Tech Park?” His post spread like wildfire.
Influenced by the online uproar, digital creator Arifuzzaman Tuhin posted at 10:31 pm, comparing the scene to poet Nabarun Bhattacharya’s poem ‘Ittorer Desh’. Then, at 11:51 pm, a Facebook user named Al Amin Rahman further escalated matters by sharing a highlighted headline from an online portal titled “The Real Reason Behind the Karail Slum Fire.”
In an attempt to extinguish the misinformation, at around 2:30 pm on Wednesday, 26 November, the Chief Adviser’s Special Assistant, Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, firmly stated in a Facebook post:
“The government currently has no plan to construct any structure on the land of Korail slum.”
Victim of the social media propaganda, Syed Almas Kabir commented:
“After yesterday’s devastating fire in Karail, an attempt was made to distort and misuse my one-year-old remark out of context. I want to state clearly that my primary message was improving the quality of life, safety, and human dignity of Karail’s 80,000 residents. I have never supported eviction or displacement.
I had mentioned the government’s earlier idea of establishing a Hi-Tech Park there, but also explicitly said that no action should be taken without first rehabilitating all residents, ensuring a healthier living environment for them.”
His statement aligns with that of Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, who explained:
“Late last year, a small part of the Banani corner — where there is no slum — was discussed as a possible location for a software park. We consulted human rights activists, and based on their advice, the ICT Division withdrew from the idea of constructing any infrastructure in Karail.
We want to make it clear: there is no current plan, project, or proposal — not even in the Shobuj Pata project — to build anything in Korail.
Instead, we have formally written to the Public Works Department (PWD) and RAJUK requesting land in Agargaon, Purbachal, or other areas for the software park. PWD has given a positive response.”
It is worth noting that in 1999, 47 of the 90 acres were allocated to the Ministry of Science and ICT. Later, the then Awami League government planned to establish an IT Village there, and surveys were conducted in 2012. But that plan did not include slum eviction.
Reflecting on those earlier plans, Syed Almas Kabir emphasized that the dreams, safety, dignity, and future of Karail’s residents are as important as anyone else's, and that technology-driven growth should ensure new opportunities without harming the community.
DBTech/MUIM/OR
