Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], August 19 (ANI): Following the tragic fire at a hotel on Mirza Ghalib Street that claimed nine lives, Kolkata Police has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the incident.
Nine people, including one child, died in the fire, which erupted during the early hours on Wednesday, police said. Around 60 others were also rescued from the burning building.
Following the fire, West Bengal Minister Agnimitra Paul said the government is planning to form a team to check whether hotels across the city have valid permits and fire licences, flagging that the building housed multiple hotels crammed with small rooms across its floors.
Paul arrived at the site to inspect the hotel, asserting that action will be taken in the case.
"We are planning to form a team to check whether the hotels have valid permits and fire licences. Ten hotels are being run across three floors of a single building, with small rooms. This cannot be allowed. The police are still checking whether they are Bangladeshi or Indian. The police will confirm this after the investigation. Definitely, action will be taken. We have not spoken to the Chief Minister yet, but after speaking to the Chief Minister, we will make any announcement," Paul told reporters.
Echoing similar sentiments over the situation, state minister Tapas Roy said, "Those running hotels here and do not have all the required licences and facilities should be checked. We will form a team to inspect and search all such places. This is not happening only here; similar incidents are taking place across Kolkata and in other cities, in congested areas. We will adopt a zero-tolerance approach towards such incidents."
West Bengal Minister Kaushik Chaudhary said the toll could have been far higher had rescue teams not acted swiftly. "We have information of nine deaths. We don't know the cause of the fire yet. There could have been 100 deaths, but we managed to rescue 80 people. It appears the deaths were due to smoke. Nine people have died; strict action will be taken in this incident. The CM has spoken to me to inquire about the situation."
According to police, information about the fire was received at New Market Police Station at around 2 AM, prompting a police team to rush to the spot immediately, while the Fire Brigade and CESC authorities were alerted and asked to take urgent action.
After a prolonged rescue operation, Fire Brigade and police personnel rescued approximately 60 people from the hotel premises and brought them to safety. During the rescue effort, nine persons, including two women and one child, were found unconscious and rushed to Medical College & Hospital for treatment. On examination, the doctor declared them brought dead.
Police said the situation in the area is currently peaceful and under control, with adequate police deployment maintained at the spot. The site of the incident has been secured and preserved, and further action is being taken as per law. The exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.
Further details are awaited.
The incident comes just two days after another hotel fire in the state. On Monday, eight people died, and several others were injured, allegedly due to a short circuit, at a hotel in Tarapith in Birbhum district, officials said. (ANI)
Kolkata hotel fire: Police form SIT to probe the incident that killed nine
