A fire broke out at Orphangunge Market in Kidderpore early on Monday, gutting hundreds of shops and reducing the market to ashes.
There were no reports of anyone being trapped or injured, but hundreds of traders lost their shops and belongings.
Police said 22 fire tenders were called in to douse the fire that lasted more than six hours.
The single-storey market houses wholesale stores selling wheat, spices, eggs, and butter, along with several godowns storing edible goods. The congestion in the market made it difficult for fire services personnel to access it.
Compensation
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee visited the market and announced compensation of ₹1 lakh for traders whose shops were completely destroyed, and ₹50,000 for those whose shops were partially damaged. She added that the market would be temporarily relocated to another site.
“A detailed survey will be conducted to determine how many shops were destroyed and what caused the fire. A detailed investigation will be carried out... The market will have to be shifted for the time being. The councillor and the mayor have identified a place not far from here,” Mamata said.
The chief minister urged all traders to be cautious while using LPG cylinders and air conditioners.
“When you keep a cylinder, you should have it tested from time to time. Otherwise, it can claim lives. We use cylinders and ACs at home, but we rarely test them,” Mamata said.
The cause of the fire had not been ascertained till late on Monday.
“We are ready to provide help, but first we need a complete report on what happened — which shops were completely gutted and which partially damaged,” Mamata said.
“For those whose shops have been completely gutted, we will provide ₹1 lakh. We will also rebuild the shops and provide funds to purchase raw materials. For those with partially damaged shops, we will provide ₹50,000,” she announced.
The compensation will be disbursed once the shops are relocated. “Only those with shops here will be allowed to be rehabilitated. No outsiders will be permitted,” Mamata said.
She added that the state government fully sympathised with those who had lost their shops. “But at the same time, it is the responsibility of the people to take precautions against fire,” she said, responding to a trader who said that setting up a new market could take several months.
Orphangunge Market, near St Thomas Church, has around 700 shops, according to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation.
Traders’ association officials, however, said the market housed around 1,300 shops.
Safety concerns
Association president Rabindranath Maji alleged poor infrastructure and no firefighting equipment in the market. The KMC took over the market four years ago, he said.
“We had complained to the civic body about roads, drainage and cleanliness. We had also been assured that fire safety equipment would be installed. But even after repeated meetings, nothing was done,” alleged Maji.
Many traders alleged that their shops could have been saved if the fire services personnel had arrived sooner.
Officials from the state fire and emergency services said they faced difficulty reaching the site because of the narrow, congested lanes, which made it hard to access the seat of the fire.
There was no firefighting mechanism in the market, fire officials said.
“We can comment on the source of the fire only after the forensic examination is complete,” said a fire department official.
Losses
Hundreds of traders were seen rushing around the site, trying to recover whatever belongings they could.
Santosh Shaw, 49, who owned two stores, said he lost everything. “My Aadhaar and PAN cards, everything is gone. I had stock worth around ₹2 lakh in the shops and about ₹5 lakh in cash,” he said.
The father of three said he had taken a ₹50 lakh business loan and now had no means to repay it.
There were hundreds of others like Shaw.
Apart from the shops, many also lived in rental accommodations in the area.
Rafiq Lasker, 45, who lived in a rented room in the market, said he had lost all his belongings in the fire.
