Kolkata fire safety crackdown after Mirza Ghalib Street blaze; 26 hotels get notices

The West Bengal Fire Services Department has widened its crackdown on fire safety violations in central Kolkata, issuing show-cause notices to 17 more hotels and guesthouses in and around Mirza Ghalib Street on Friday.

The latest action comes a day after notices were served on nine establishments in the same area, taking the total number of hotels and guesthouses facing action to 26.

The establishments served notices on Friday have been given 24 hours to respond. Officials have warned that failure to provide satisfactory explanations could lead to orders shutting down the establishments.

The fire safety drive follows a deadly blaze at Shikha Inn in a building on Mirza Ghalib Street during the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday. Nine people, including seven Bangladeshi nationals, were killed in the incident.

The victims included six men, two women and a child. Officials said most of the deaths were caused by smoke inhalation and suffocation rather than burn injuries.

The five-storey building housed several hotels and guesthouses. Shikha Inn operated from the third floor and occupied around 1,100 square feet.

The incident has triggered questions over fire safety compliance and how multiple establishments operating from the building obtained the necessary licences.

Police arrested Abu Zafar, the leaseholder of Shikha Inn, on Thursday. A city court remanded him to police custody until 2 September.

The hotel's original owner, Bireshwar Mitra, remains absconding, according to police.

Zafar had reportedly taken the hotel on lease from Mitra under an agreement involving a monthly payment of Rs 40,000.

The New Market Police Station, under whose jurisdiction the building falls, has registered a suo motu case. The Fire Services Department has also filed a separate complaint in connection with the incident.

The BJP has accused the previous Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government of negligence over fire safety in the area.

State BJP leaders, including chief minister Suvendu Adhikari and municipal affairs and urban development minister Agnimitra Paul, have questioned how hotels operating in such buildings were able to obtain trade licences without adequate fire safety provisions.

The allegations have added a political dimension to the tragedy, with the Opposition demanding accountability over regulatory lapses.

The West Bengal government has announced a special audit of hotels, lodges and guesthouses in and around Mirza Ghalib Street following the fire.

Fire officials are examining safety arrangements at establishments in the congested locality, where multiple hotels and guesthouses operate within closely packed buildings.

The latest notices and proposed closures are part of efforts to identify establishments lacking minimum fire safety measures and prevent another tragedy in the densely populated central Kolkata area.

With IANS inputs