Kolkata: The death toll in the fire that broke out in two warehouses in Anandapur in the southern outskirts of Kolkata has reached 16, said the police Wednesday.
At the same time, several people are still missing, and a search is on to trace them.
Meanwhile, police have arrested Gangadhar Das, the owner of the burnt-down decorator’s warehouse. He was arrested on charges of death due to negligence.
The decorator’s warehouse was adjacent to a Momo company’s warehouse, which was also destroyed in the fire. Similar charges have been filed against the owners of the Momo company, but no one from that company has been arrested yet.
The fire broke out in the two warehouses around 3 a.m. on Monday. The fire continued to rage until Tuesday afternoon. Body parts were scattered throughout the burnt-out warehouses. The exact number of people present at the scene at the time of the incident is still uncertain. The charred remains have made identification of the bodies very difficult. According to the police, DNA testing will be conducted to confirm the identities after getting a court order.
“So far, 16 deaths have been confirmed. However, their identities and places of residence are still unknown. Officially, 20 people are still missing,” said a senior officer of Baruipur Police District.
It is still not clear how the fire started or from which warehouse it spread. An investigation into the cause of the fire has already started. Based on a complaint from the fire department, a case of death due to negligence has been registered at the Narendrapur police station. The police have also filed a suo motu case under the same section. Acting on these two cases, the Narendrapur police arrested Gangadhar from the Garia area on Tuesday night. After a medical examination Wednesday, he will be produced before the Baruipur Sub-Divisional Court. Police sources said that investigators will also apply to the court for DNA testing to confirm the identities of the deceased.
However, Gangadhar claimed that the negligence was not his. He has told the police that the fire was caused by the negligence of the Momo factory. He claimed his long-standing business has been completely ruined.
Meanwhile, questions are being raised about whether the two burnt-down warehouses in Anandapur had any fire safety measures in place at all.
Tuesday, the Director General of the Fire Department, Ranveer Kumar, visited the site. He stated that the fire department had not issued any fire safety clearance for the warehouses. The question arises as to how these warehouses were operating for so long without proper authorisation.
Ranveer Kumar said that there might have been some lapse on the part of the department, and the matter will be investigated.
Many are also questioning why the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) did not take any action in this regard. After visiting the site, Kolkata Mayor and state Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim said, “It is not right to stop someone’s livelihood. Otherwise, you yourselves will raise questions again.”
Claims have been made from various quarters that the warehouses were built on filled-in wetlands. However, Firhad Hakim claimed that he was unaware whether the warehouses were located on wetlands. He added that no new wetlands are being filled in.
Meanwhile, Hakim, on Tuesday, announced that financial assistance will be provided to the families of those killed and missing in the Anandapur warehouse fire. After visiting the fire site, Hakim announced that each family would receive Rs 10 lakh in assistance. The state minister said that the cheques will be handed over to the families once the bodies or body parts are identified.
