"We have to cross-check information at the field level through the DC office and the Department of Inspection of Factories and Establishments. We could not give money to some and not to others, so we are waiting to finish verifying the details of all the deceased before disbursing the money," said the DG.

The Daily Star spoke to the families of four more deceased workers who are supposed to receive compensation from the ministry but did not even get a call from it.

The ministry had, however, given an emergency help of Tk 50,000 to each of 10 injured on February 24 last year.

Mayor Khokon's Protocol Officer Habibul Islam Sumon said they were working to provide jobs to the victims' family members.

"We will meet them at the anniversary of the fire, and give them cash, shops, and jobs," he told The Daily Star. These will be financed completely from the mayor's discretionary funds, he added.

When asked why it took so long, he said, "It was very difficult for us to find the victims of the fire, and we have managed to get the contact of only 31 people over last one year."

It took The Daily Star only a day to collect the details of the deceased and their family members. It got it from Churihatta Ekota Sangha, a social welfare organisation established by the locals in Churihatta, where the fire incident took place.