Frankfurt: Walking by the Main river in Frankfurt, chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday blamed "hooliganism" for the Bagree Market fire that kept burning some 42 hours after it had broken out and said "even toilets" were rented out.

Conscious that she was pointing fingers at stakeholders in the key business district in Calcutta, the chief minister said she was in favour of business and traders but asserted that regulations could not be flouted.

Allegations have surfaced on multiple fronts after the fire. The market has been blamed for poor fire safety measures and unbridled expansion.

On the other hand, the traders have accused illegal hawkers - a perennial problem that feeds on political patronage - of clogging the approach roads, which hampered fire tenders.

The chief minister, too, referred to the congestion but it was not clear if Mamata was aware that the traders had held illegal hawkers responsible.

In Frankfurt, the chief minister brought up the Bagree Marker blaze when reporters asked her why the Calcutta riverfront could not be developed like the one in Frankfurt.

"Frankfurt has a population of only 7 lakh. Around 2.5 crore people live or come to work in Calcutta," she said. "So there's space here (in Frankfurt), the weather is good and they have no dearth of money. So what they can do.... In our country, the population is huge."

She went on: "Now take the example of Bagree Market. I heard there was a fire. Now it is under control."

Before leaving for Frankfurt on Sunday, Mamata had visited the site of the fire.

"There was so much of inflammables stocked. Even the toilet had been rented out. People have to understand: if somebody is doing business, he has to be conscious of (what is good for) the area," she said on Monday.

"Why should it (business) be taken to such a level that the fire brigade's (entry) is blocked? Even the road space to bring in water is blocked...."

Because of the road's lack of width and encroachment by hawkers' stalls, only half-a-dozen fire tenders could battle the blaze at a time although 30 had been deployed.

"This is not business; this is hooliganism. I'm in favour of traders and businessmen but this can't go on," Mamata said.

She described it as an inherited problem. "But it is not today's practice. This is going on for 100 years, nobody cared. All the lanes are so choked that no car can go in. If there's an incident, how can the fire brigade enter? If it's my country, I have to be careful, conscious and responsible."

Thick white smoke was billowing out of some of the rooms on the third, fifth and top floors of the six-storey market in Canning Street even at 9pm. Fire-fighters were trying to smash the glass windows using water jets, while hosing the walls so the heat did not crack them.

A thermal imaging camera brought by forensic experts showed the temperature was 170°C in parts of the building. The lowest was 68°C.

Government sources said the police had been told to inspect the markets and find out whether any trader lacked trade, fire or other licences. "Many open their businesses before getting the licences. The kind of goods they stock could be inflammable," an official said.

By Monday morning, the fire on the ground floor had been doused. Civil defence wing personnel cut the shutters open and traders began looking for ware to salvage.

"I generally stock (imitation) jewellery worth Rs 70,000 to Rs 80,000. But I had kept Rs 1.5 lakh worth of stocks because of the Pujas. I have lost everything," said Manish Agarwal. He castigated the hawkers' stalls.

"They block our shops, forcing us to depend solely on regular customers. Prospective buyers walking along the road cannot see our stalls because of the encroachments."

From top of Nandram, how burning Bagree stood out against our city’s unmistakable skyline

Additional reporting by Our Calcutta Bureau