Several markets run by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) lack fire safety measures, risking the lives of the shop owners there as well as thousands of people who visit these markets every day.
Dangerously hanging wires, often intertwined with each other, and blocked passages worsen the condition of the markets.
A fire at Orphangunge Market in Kidderpore, which is being run by the KMC since 2022, that gutted hundreds of shops has turned attention on the upkeep of several other markets in the city.
There are 52 KMC-operated markets in Calcutta and a number of private markets, too.
At New Market, where a blaze broke out in 2011, fire extinguishers were the only available tools to respond to a fire.
A KMC official said the new complex of the market has an underground water reservoir, but there were no fire alarms or sprinklers.
Tarpaulin sheets were hung inside the fish and chicken range of the market. Outside the market, along Bertram Street, hawkers have hung tarpaulin sheets from the wall of the market.
Aman Gupta, a trader at the market, said the hanging tarpaulin sheets outside the market, posed a great risk to the market. “If there is a fire outside, it can spread into the market fast because of the tarpaulin sheets,” said Gupta.
There are about 1,200 shops in New Market.
At Gariahat market, the traders had themselves stacked products on portions of the passages and stairs. It can emerge as obstacles while escaping a fire, admitted a trader.
There were over 1,000 shops at Gariahat market.
“The fire at Orphangunge Market has opened our eyes to the lack of fire fighting preparedness in the markets. Though these markets attract thousands of people every day, the fire fighting arrangements are either nil or very rudimentary,” said a Ballygunge resident, who is a regular visitor to Gariahat market.
A couple of kilometres away, Lake Market has comparatively better fire fighting tools.
Monotosh Banerjee, the joint secretary of the traders’ association at the market, said they had an underground water reservoir and water sprinklers, besides a few fire extinguishers.
Lake Market in its current avatar, located on the ground floor of the Lake Mall building, came up between 2006 and 2009. The mall started in the middle of last decade.
There are about 500 shops in Lake Market.
In north Calcutta’s College Street market, even the required number of fire extinguishers were not there.
“The fire alarm and fire sprinklers remain inactive. KMC officials have themselves told us that there are only 46 fire extinguishers in the market, whereas we need at least 100 more,” said Subhasish Deb, general secretary of College Street Market Byabasayee Samiti.
There are about 325 shop owners in the market.
A KMC official admitted that the fire safety measures in its markets were often
inadequate.
“Some markets have more safety measures than others, but maintenance is not regular,” said the official.