The civic body will assess firefighting preparedness in markets under it.

In a letter to the chief manager of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s market department, the mayoral council member in charge of markets, Amiruddin (Bobby), has instructed that separate teams visit the markets and draw up reports on the state of firefighting preparedness and the shortcomings, if any

“I have instructed that the teams visit the markets and find out whether the firefighting equipment are in place or not, the condition of the entry and exit gates and that of the stairs,” Amiruddin told Metro on Thursday.

“The reports should be submitted within a week. We will go through each of the reports and then discuss the corrective steps, if any, for those markets where the firefighting preparedness is inadequate.”

There are 47 markets under the civic body. Each of the teams visiting them will conduct a fire audit covering several aspects, including whether there were enough fire extinguishers, the condition of the existing ones, and when they were last refilled.

“The members will examine the condition of the common passages in the markets, whether they are free for the movement of firefighters or partly encroached upon, the condition of the stairs and that of the water reservoirs,” said an official of the KMC’s market department.

The KMC’s move to assess the preparedness comes three days after hundreds of shops at Orphangunge Market in Kidderpore were gutted in a blaze on Monday, prompting chief minister Mamata Banerjee to visit the fire-ravaged market later in the day.

The state fire and emergency services department lodged a police complaint on Wednesday against unknown persons for not keeping any adequate fire safety measures at Orphangunge Market.

The fire department officials wrote to the police: “Preliminary inquiry reveals that the market place was operating without adequate fire safety measures and firefighting amenities. Moreover, huge quantity of inflammable materials were stored in it. Hence, you are requested to take necessary legal action for the violation of Sections 11C and Section 12 of West Bengal Fire Services Act, 1950 with upto date amendments in accordance with Rules.”

Based on the complaint, officers of Watgunge police station have registered an FIR.

In some of the KMC markets that Metro visited on Thursday, shop owners complained about the civic body’s apathy in ensuring there were adequate measures to fight a blaze.

In New Market, where a major fire broke out in 2011, a section of the traders said
that there were no fire alarms and sprinklers. Some of the gates were encroached upon, they said.

“We have written to the KMC on several occasions, informing about the electrical wires hanging dangerously and how the gates of the market are blocked,” said Uday Kumar Shaw, general secretary of SS Hogg Market.

Spread across 15 blocks in the old and new complexes, New Market has nearly 1,000 shops. There are 27 exits and entrances covering various zones, including the old market complex, multi-storey new complex, vegetable market and the poultry-fish-meat corner.

On Thursday, this newspaper found a two-wheeler parked outside one of the entrances, whose collapsible gates had utensils hanging on them. “We live in an uncertain situation,” said Bikash Lal, who runs a garments shop in New Market

Several others said that with hawkers encroaching on the market area, they were unsure how fire tenders could reach in case of an emergency.

In the north, Maniktala market had fire extinguishers in place, which were refilled only last year.

Shop owners said fire drills are held every two to four months, with fire department officials teaching the market committee members the basic drills.

The market has two water reservoirs, a municipal water connection and six water tanks.

“We have asked the KMC to provide us a connection with the Hooghly river so that we can store more water,” said Vijoy Kumar Shaw, joint secretary of Maniktala Bazar Babosayee Samity.

“The keys of the collapsible gates remain with the security guard who lives inside the market. We are trying to keep the market as safe as possible.”