Sir — It was amusing to learn that after Hans Raj Hans and Sunny Deol, the popular singer, Daler Mehndi, has also joined the Bharatiya Janata Party. While it is evident that the BJP is trying to bolster its star power to attract more votes, it is clearly not at all bothered by the fact that Mehndi was sentenced to two years in jail on charges of human trafficking. He is currently out on bail. The saffron party is not renowned for its defence of human rights, which is why its acceptance of a man like Mehndi into its fold is not surprising. One does hope, however, that citizens will have better sense than to vote for the BJP.

Debjani Chakravarty,
Calcutta

A blanket of smoke covers the area around Exide crossing, Calcutta, on April 26, 2019. A portion of the roof of a four-storey building caved in after a fire broke out in a fashion design institute on the top floor Telegraph picture

No change yet

Sir — After a portion of the roof of the four-storeyed building at the crossing of Ashutosh Mukherjee Road and Bishop Lefroy Road collapsed on account of a fire on Friday, citizens and authorities were shaken out of their slumber (“Roof collapse after Chowringhee fire”, April 27). Several reports in The Telegraph showed readers that the story behind such tragedies is the same no matter how many times they occur — criminal negligence on the part of the owners and occupants of the buildings in question as well as the departments of the state administration responsible for fire safety. Similar incidents have taken place in the past, and people fully expect them to happen again.

There are innumerable old buildings in Calcutta, most of which are in important locations. These properties fetch extremely high rents, and the tenants seldom leave once they occupy the place. They generally establish shops, showrooms, offices and specialized educational institutes on the premises, and those that are well off use the places as their residences as well. But while they spend a pretty penny on interior decor and other facilities, they rarely care to check the stability of the building’s structure and, more important, dire safety arrangements. They pay no attention to the notices of the fire brigade and the relevant departments of the government, since the latter do not bother to follow up and see whether their directives have been implemented.

In the case of the structure that caught fire on Friday, it was found that the load of the overhead water tanks was too much for the old building to bear, constructed as it was with wooden beams and not reinforced with concrete. This was one of the reasons for the collapse of the roof. The building department of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation and the fire safety department must conduct regular checks. Then they should ensure that their recommendations are followed strictly. Insurance companies must not issue policies without for residents without ascertaining the safety of the building.

For modern high-rise buildings, the fire safety aspect is taken care of right from the design stage. The architects make provisions for fire detection, alarms and escape routes, and even for ways to isolate the area from where a fire starts. These may not be possible for ordinary buildings, but every building must have the basic fire fighting arrangements.

Fires may break out for many reasons. Residents have to be careful about storing flammable material. The electrical wiring and machinery kept on the premises should be periodically checked along with the maintenance of the fire fighting equipment. Once a fire breaks out, the fire brigade may be able to control it, but some degree of damage will be inevitable.

Asit Kumar Mitra,
Calcutta

Sir — The fire at Chowringhee should be seen as a wake-up call. Ignoring notices about the unsafe conditions of buildings is a big mistake. It puts lives at risk. No one was injured in the recent case of fire, but they could have been. The managing director of the realty company that owns the building admitted that no fire-fighting equipment was installed there. Why were there no safety measures? Firefighters are not always equipped with modern facilities. Are we to live in fear of such occurrences becoming a regular feature?

Kousik Majumdar,
Calcutta

Sir — A fire broke out in the heart of Calcutta on Friday morning. Within moments, photographs of the flames started appearing on social media and were circulated on WhatsApp. The sky behind the Victoria Memorial was filled with thick black smoke that could be seen from the second Hooghly Bridge. Traffic slowed down on the Maa and A.J.C. Bose Road flyovers, as drivers and riders stopped their vehicles to take photos. Worse, fake videos started circulating as people began sharing footage of a high-rise blaze in Dhaka. It is commendable that the false videos were largely ignored by sensible citizens, but the spread of fake content on the internet can cause great trouble.

Khokan Das,
Calcutta

Sir — It was appalling to see the images of the billowing smoke that emanated from the scene of the fire that broke out near Exide last week. Even though so many massive fire-related tragedies have already occurred in the city — such as the one at Stephen House — why aren’t government departments and building owners more vigilant about putting fire safety measures in place? Not only must the company that owns the building that caught fire be taken to task, but the relevant government departments must be made to answer some tough questions as well.

Sonia Basu,
Calcutta