A survey has identified 490 pockets in Kolkata that are vulnerable to fires, mayor Firhad Hakim said on Friday.
Hakim also said the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) would make available its deep tube wells to refill the fire tenders that get exhausted while dousing a fire.
The KMC will modify its booster pumping stations so they, too, can be used to refill fire tenders, the mayor said.
Hakim said the survey had been done jointly by the KMC, fire department, CESC and the police.
Fire minister Sujit Bose met Hakim at the KMC headquarters on SN Banerjee Road on Friday to discuss steps that need to be taken to improve response to fires.
“We have identified 490 fire-hazardous pockets. The police, KMC, fire department and CESC jointly conducted a survey to identify these places,” Hakim said.
“We will soon have fire drills in these pockets. The drills will help us identify the places from where water can be brought to douse flames quickly,” he said.
“We have 750 deep tube wells in the city. They can be used (to refill fire tenders). If required, we will bore a few more deep tube wells and those, too, can be used to fight fires.”
Residents of places where fires broke out complained about fire tenders taking a lot of time to come back after refilling. If there are sources of water in all neighbourhoods, it will become easier for fire tenders to replenish and return to the site of the fire.
A list of the 490 fire-prone pockets was not available.
The mayor referred to frequent fires in Tangra and Tiljala. On Monday, a fire had gutted a plastic godown in Topsia. The city frequently witnesses fires in such godowns.
Places like Tangra and Topsia are dotted with such godowns.
Hakim later told The Telegraph that the survey was conducted on instructions from the chief minister. “The chief minister once told us to conduct a survey and identify hazardous places,” he said.
The mayor also said owners of small factories would be advised on the measures they need to take to avoid a fire. The owners of such factories, he said, usually have very limited resources.
If required the government will provide them with some basic firefighting tools, Hakim said.
“We will hold sessions with them to increase their awareness about firefighting,” he said.