Calcutta: Bagree Market traders on Monday told a minister that the illegal stalls set up on the pavement and road in front of the market should be removed immediately as they had delayed the fire-fighting and as Sunday morning's fire may have started from one of these outlets.
A man whose shop was gutted alleged that the traders had lodged a police complaint against the illegal stalls three months ago but no action was taken.
When urban development and municipal affairs minister Firhad Hakim visited Bagree Market on Monday afternoon, a trader called out to him by his nickname.
"Bobbyda, thoda kuch dikhana hai aapko, samjhe na. Aaiye aaiye, idhar aaiye (We want to show you something. Please come this way)," the trader invited him.
As Hakim turned and shook his hand, other traders spoke out. " Pura illegal tarike se pura rasta encroach kar liya hai. Aur niche se sab illegal building karke cylinder vagera rakh diya hai. Iska koi mai-baap nahi hai (The entire road has been encroached on. There are gas cylinders everywhere. There's no one to look after this place)," an agitated trader told Hakim.
As Hakim tried to pacify the traders, another shopkeeper said: "The entire area is filled with plastic. Cylinders with lighter gas are everywhere. The building is burning because of this."
Hakim tried to argue that overnight eviction was not possible. "We cannot make rules just like that," he said, to which a trader replied that rules exist but are not enforced.
Later, Bhavesh Shah, who owns a store that sells sunglasses, told The Telegraph: "We had gone to Burrabazar police station three months ago and told the police about the encroachers. But the officer on duty shouted at me and said I was trying to become a political leader."
An officer at Burrabazar police station said the force was busy dousing the fire and did not remember any such incident.
Eyewitnesses have told the police and fire brigade officials that the fire started and spread from a hawker's stall encroaching on the pavement in front of the Bagree Market building early on Sunday.
Fire tenders found it difficult to pick their way through the congested Amartalla Lane, whose width has shrunk because of encroachment by hawkers.
On Monday, fire-fighters battled flames that sprang up every once in a while inside the building. Teams of civic officials struggled to clear the pavement-grabbing stalls as most of the owners could not be located.
On Sunday, mayor Sovan Chatterjee had blamed the congestion as well as a mesh of overhead wires for the firemen's inability to use hydraulic ladders to fight the blaze.
