1 week ago
A Year After Mechua Fire, Kolkata Still Lacks Safety
A hotel fire in Mechua killed 14 people about a year ago.
Officials then promised to check whether hotels and other buildings were safe.
Another fire at Shikha Inn killed nine people on Wednesday.
The new fire showed that some safety problems may still be unresolved.
Minister Agnimitra Paul blamed the earlier government for not fixing the system.
Former mayor Firhad Hakim said an earlier inspection effort stopped after elections.
Fire officials said they recently checked 60 buildings, and most did not follow safety rules.
The government now says it will conduct more audits and may close unsafe businesses.
A hotel fire in Mechua killed 14 people a year ago and led to a promised fire-audit committee.
The Shikha Inn blaze on Free School Street killed nine people, despite being near Kolkata Municipal Corporation offices.
Minister Agnimitra Paul blamed the previous Trinamool government and announced new audits across the state.
Former mayor Firhad Hakim said an earlier third-party audit was interrupted after six months by elections.
Fire officials said 60 central Kolkata buildings were inspected in three months, but most were found non-compliant; Shikha Inn was reportedly not audited.
- Who
- The victims of the Mechua and Shikha Inn fires; state officials, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, and former mayor Firhad Hakim are central to the response.
- What
- A new hotel fire has renewed criticism of incomplete fire audits and weak enforcement of safety rules in Kolkata.
- Where
- Shikha Inn on Free School Street in Kolkata; inspections were conducted across central Kolkata and planned across the state.
- When
- The Shikha Inn fire occurred on Wednesday; the Mechua fire occurred about a year earlier. A recent inspection drive covered 60 buildings over three months.
- Why
- The fire renewed concerns that promised audits, licensing checks, and enforcement had not prevented unsafe establishments from operating.
Government Accountability
Blame-Game Criticism
Responsibility for the deaths
Government Accountability
Agnimitra Paul blamed the previous Trinamool government for a faulty system and said it would have to take responsibility for the nine deaths.
Blame-Game Criticism
Firhad Hakim said assigning blame would not solve the problem and argued that authorities should focus on finding a solution.
Earlier audit effort
Government Accountability
The current government’s criticism points to the earlier committee and the failure to ensure that fire-safety gaps were corrected.
Blame-Game Criticism
Hakim said a third party had been hired to conduct the audits, but the work was interrupted after six months by elections.
Current enforcement
Government Accountability
Paul announced new audits across the state and threatened to close establishments that did not fix safety deficiencies.
Blame-Game Criticism
Fire officials said inspections were already ongoing, but the reported non-compliance of most inspected buildings indicates that enforcement remains incomplete.
Key facts
- Shikha Inn deaths
- Nine people were killed in the blaze on Free School Street.
- Mechua fire deaths
- Fourteen people died in a hotel fire about a year earlier.
- Recent inspections
- Fire officials said 60 central Kolkata buildings were inspected during the last three months.
- Compliance findings
- Officials said most of the inspected buildings did not comply with fire-safety rules and were served notices.
- Shikha Inn audit
- Sources said the fire department had not audited Shikha Inn.
- Earlier committee
- A committee formed in May last year included Firhad Hakim, the fire and emergency services minister, and the city police commissioner.
- New government response
- Agnimitra Paul announced a new state-wide fire-audit committee and warned that establishments could be shut if they failed to address safety gaps.
Quotes
Agnimitra Paul
State Urban Development Minister of West Bengal
“The Kolkata Municipal Corporation is just a stone’s throw away from this place (Shikha Inn). It needs to be probed how they had issued the trade licence. We will submit a detailed report to the chief minister’s office. Whether any action will be taken against the former mayor will be decided after that.”
telegraphindia.com
“blame game” would not solve the problem. “Rather, a solution needs to be found. Yes, there have been some incidents during my term. After the fire at the (Rituraj) hotel last year, I had ordered the formation of a committee. A third party was given the work, which got interrupted.”
telegraphindia.com
Sources
Related news
Kolkata Hotel Fire Kills Nine as Adhikari Orders SIT Probe
Kolkata Police Probes New Market Hotel Fire Tragedy
Central Kolkata Hotels Face Fire-Safety Closure Threats
Kolkata Hotel Inferno Exposes Persistent Fire-Safety Failures Again
Kolkata Safety Sweep Shuts Nearly 40 Hotels and Guest Houses
Kolkata hotel fire prompts notices for 26 establishments
Kolkata Janmashtami Committee Shift Sparks Religious Harmony Debate
Derek O’Brien Appears Before Kolkata Police Over Billboard Clash
North Dinajpur TMC Leader Arrested; Missing Balurghat Boys Rescued
Bengal’s New BJP Government Faces Test Beyond Victory
Abhishek Banerjee Questioned Five Hours in Billboard Scuffle Case
