Cramped hotels, blocked windows, no fire alarm, Kolkata building was virtually a tinderbox

In a grim reminder of the negligence left behind by the previous administration, a fire broke out at the Shikha Inn, a hotel within a cramped and dangerously unsafe building in central Kolkata. The building, located near the state fire services department headquarters, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, and the local New Market Police Station, was a monument to compromised fire-safety regulations.

With over a dozen hotels cramped into the five-storey structure, each occupying only four to five rooms, and windows blocked with iron grills, it was a tinderbox waiting to ignite. The tragedy that unfolded early Wednesday morning claimed the lives of nine people. Residents of the area expressed their shock at the blatant disregard for fire safety rules, with one pointing out that the iron stairs were susceptible to overheating during a fire.

The state fire services department and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation have been blamed for granting permissions to such hotels despite their severe safety deficiencies. The current administration, including Minister of State for Fire and Emergency Services Kaushik Chowdhury and Municipal Affairs and Urban Development Minister Agnimitra Paul, have vowed to take stringent actions against those responsible, while also promising to form a committee to address the issues.

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari further blamed the previous TMC government for allowing unsafe conditions to prevail while the city's infrastructure was expanded.