6 days ago
Camac Street Trinamool Office Ordered Vacated Over Fire Violations
The fire department said two floors of a building were not safe to use.
A Trinamool Congress office is located on those floors.
The department ordered the owner to empty them and also told people not to use the basement.
The building’s fire licence had expired.
The owner said she had not been allowed to enter the floors for six years.
Because of that, she said she did not know whether dangerous items were stored there.
Her lawyer said the owner is willing to follow the fire department’s order.
Security guards closed the entrances to the floors on Saturday.
West Bengal’s fire department ordered the sixth and seventh floors of Camac Street’s Haldiram Tower to be vacated.
The floors house a Trinamool Congress office and were declared unsafe because fire-safety measures were inadequate.
Owner Rama Devi Goenka said she had been denied access to the floors for six years and did not know what was stored there.
Her legal representative said an LPG cylinder was reportedly present despite the lease prohibiting inflammable materials.
The building’s fire licence expired on August 10, and the premises must remain vacant until safety compliance and certification are secured.
- Who
- Rama Devi Goenka, the building owner; the West Bengal Fire and Emergency Services; and occupants of a Trinamool Congress office.
- What
- The fire department ordered two office floors and the basement to be vacated over alleged fire-safety violations.
- Where
- The sixth and seventh floors and basement of Haldiram Tower on Camac Street.
- When
- The order was issued on Friday; security guards closed access on Saturday. The building’s fire licence expired on August 10.
- Why
- The fire department cited inadequate firefighting measures, an expired fire licence and alleged storage of inflammable materials.
Owner’s account
Fire department and occupants’ positions
Access to the floors
Owner’s account
Rama Devi Goenka’s legal representative said the occupiers had denied her access for the past six years, leaving her unaware of what was stored there.
Fire department and occupants’ positions
The fire department placed responsibility for complying with its order on the owner and directed that the affected areas remain unused.
Compliance with the evacuation order
Owner’s account
The owner said she was ready to comply with the order to vacate the floors and acknowledged that the fire licence had not been renewed.
Fire department and occupants’ positions
A senior police officer said the occupants would not themselves vacate, but police would provide cooperation or assistance if needed to follow the fire department’s order.
Possible inflammable materials
Owner’s account
The owner’s lawyer said the lease prohibited fire-hazardous inflammable articles and that the owner was unaware of an allegedly stored LPG cylinder.
Fire department and occupants’ positions
The fire department’s notice cited fire-safety violations and inadequate firefighting measures, and ordered the premises vacated until compliance and renewed certification.
Key facts
- Building
- Haldiram Tower, an eight-storey G+7 building with two basement levels.
- Affected floors
- The sixth and seventh floors, which house a Trinamool Congress office.
- Fire licence
- The building’s fire licence expired on August 10.
- Required action
- The floors and basement must remain vacant until fire-safety measures are completed and a renewed fire-safety certificate is obtained.
- Owner
- Rama Devi Goenka owns the sixth and seventh floors.
- Lease
- The 10-year lease was signed on March 1, 2020.
- Building size
- Sources cited a total built-up area of 80,000 square feet, with each floor measuring about 10,000 square feet.
Quotes
Sagnika Banerjee
Advocate representing building owner Rama Devi Goenka
“We have replied to the fire department’s notice, saying that we have no idea about the items that were stored across the two leased-out floors. Apparently, an LPG cylinder was there on one of the floors, about which we are completely clueless.”
telegraphindia.com
“We were denied access. But the lease agreement clearly stated that no inflammable articles posing a fire hazard could be stored. We are, nevertheless, ready to comply with the department’s orders.”
telegraphindia.com
Senior fire department official
West Bengal Fire and Emergency Services official
“We have laid down the instructions about what needs to be done very clearly. It is the owner’s responsibility now to comply with them. Separate copies of the order have also been handed to the police at the Shakespeare Sarani police station.”
telegraphindia.com
Sources
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