A section of residents in the Tiljala neighbourhood, where the demolition of two buildings was halted following an interim stay order by the high court, has urged the police to remove the barricades from the road so that “normalcy may be restored” in the area.

The letter addressed to the officer-in-charge of Tiljala police station on Saturday, said that the "continued restriction and obstruction, despite the subsisting stay order of the Hon'ble Court, are causing unnecessary hardship, inconvenience and disturbance to the peaceful residents of the locality."

It urges police to remove the "barricades from the area".

"The barricades are causing difficulties for movement. Their presence is also intimidating and inflicting fear among people. We have requested police to consider their removal," said a community elder.

When Metro visited the neighbourhood on Sunday afternoon, a series of police guardrails had been placed outside the two buildings on GJ Khan Road, parts of which had already been demolished. The guardrails were tied together with ropes to prevent anyone from moving them.

A senior Kolkata Police officer confirmed receiving the letter. “We are discussing among ourselves what can be done,” the officer said.

“If the barricades are removed, the process will be carried out in phases. The sensitivity of the matter, along with the convenience of residents, will be kept in mind,” another officer said.

On Friday, the high court stayed the demolition of a building in Tiljala that civic authorities had been pulling down since Wednesday, after lawyers for the owners argued that no advance notice had been served.

The bench of Justice Raja Basu Chowdhury said the portions that had become dangerous following two days of demolition could be removed, but only after consultations with the owners.

On Wednesday, a large contingent of police personnel, central forces and officials of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation arrived in the neighbourhood with bulldozers to demolish the illegal buildings where a fire had claimed two lives on Tuesday.

Mohammad Ibrar, 36, who had been undergoing treatment in the surgical ICU of Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital since Tuesday after being injured in the blaze, died early on Sunday, hospital officials said.

“He was brought in gasping for breath with burn injuries over most of his body and was critical from the outset. He died around 12.30am on Sunday,” a hospital official said.

Ibrar, a resident of Tiljala, worked as a designer at the leather manufacturing unit where the fire broke out.

"Doctors told us his death was caused by inhalation of toxic fumes,” said Mohammad Ishaque, Ibrar’s elder brother.

In the Tiljala neighbourhood, traders have been asked to ensure that their trade licences and no-objection certificates (NOCs) from the fire services are up to date. Community elders and representatives of a nearby mosque told Metro they had conveyed the message to traders.

“Traders have been asked to renew their trade licences if the existing ones have expired. They have also been told to obtain NOCs from the fire services before operating their units and shops,” a community elder said.