Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has asked Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim to set up a ‘high-power committee’ to probe the reasons behind the blaze at a tannery in Tangra in the eastern part of the city that took the fire department and police more than 16 hours to douse.
The tannery in Meher Ali Lane had caught fire around 6.30pm on Saturday. The fire was doused around 10.30am on Sunday. Police said no one in the neighbourhood was trapped or injured.
“Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has instructed me to form a high-power committee comprising representatives of the police, fire and emergency services and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation. The committee will investigate the causes of the devastating fire and also identify godowns in the city that are located in similar congested lanes and can catch fire easily,” Hakim said on Sunday.
Twenty fire tenders had gone to the spot but only a few could work at a time because the lanes leading to the tannery were too narrow.
“Forensic officials will find out what was stored in the tannery. Had it only been rexene, the fire could have been doused within two or three hours. The nature of combustible substances stocked in the tannery needs to be found out,” Hakim said.
Police commissioner Vineet Goyal visited the spot on Sunday morning. “Let the surface cool. Forensic officials will visit after that,” Goyal said.
Based on a complaint submitted by the station officer of the headquarters of the fire station, a case has been registered under the West Bengal Fire Services Act against the owner of the tannery.
“The fire department has said rexene, leather and other combustible substances were kept in the tannery without any fire-safety certificate from the department. The tannery had violated all norms,” said an officer of Tangra police station where a case has been initiated.
“The buildings adjoining the tannery had to be evacuated on Saturday. It was sheer luck that no one was trapped or injured. We have to identify such tanneries and godowns that are located in congested areas and may lead to hazardous incidents,” said an officer at Lalbazar.
