Traders encroaching on passageways and corridors of market buildings are liable to lose their trade licences under a stricter civic administration that has decided to use the mothballed legal option and file cases against them in the municipal court.
The strategy was finalised at a meeting of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation (CMC) and the fire services department on Thursday to discuss why the onus of a market building’s safety should be on the occupants rather than entirely on the owners.
Traders’ associations are known to pass the buck to the owners whenever there is an incident like the Bagree Market blaze.
A civic official who attended the meeting said that municipal commissioner Khalil Ahmed, who is also the secretary of the fire services department, was unequivocal in his opinion that trade licences should be revoked, if needed, to send out a strong message. “It was decided that the traders’ associations of various markets can no longer shirk responsibility and put the onus (of safety) on the owners.”
The CMC and the fire service department’s decision to penalise traders for violation of safety norms comes in the wake of chief minister Mamata Banerjee describing the manner in which most markets are run as “hooliganism”.
“People have to understand: if somebody is doing business, he has to be conscious of (what is good for) the area,” said Mamata, who is visiting the German city of Frankfurt to hardsell Bengal as an investment destination.
Multiple allegations about safety norms being violated at Bagree Market have surfaced since the fire. The market, a wholesale hub for everything from medicines to costume jewellery, had apparently expanded over the years without any thought to safety.
Civic and fire services officials who attended the meeting at the civic headquarters agreed that enforcement through legal means was the only way to curb encroachment on open spaces and other irregularities within and outside markets, either private or owned by the CMC.
The CMC will henceforth exercise the option of approaching the municipal court against any trader to get his/her licence revoked for serious violations.
The municipal authorities have rarely, if ever, filed a case against a trader or a market for encroachment or refusal to adhere to safety norms.
Metro had reported on Thursday about Stephen Court, where a blaze eight years ago killed 43 people, failing to get a fire-safety certificate because some occupants have not adhered to the specified norms like the rest have.
The occupants who have complied with the recommendations of the fire services department said they were suffering because of a few. “What do you do when all occupants do not agree and some refuse to implement fire-safety measures? We are helpless. We cannot barge into someone’s property or force someone to comply with the recommendations of the fire services department,” an occupant of the Park Street building said.
Stephen Court houses several commercial establishments, including the Flurys and Peter Cat restaurants, along with private residences.
A CMC official said traders needed to take responsibility for the safety of the buildings they occupy instead of blaming the owners, who might be caught in circumstances beyond their control.
“In many markets, traders pay a meagre rent. The owners complain that it is impossible for them to undertake proper maintenance with such low return. Many markets have multiple owners who are locked in conflict over ownership.”
A joint inspection of markets by the CMC and the fire services department is scheduled to start on Tuesday. Based on the inspection, compliance grades will be created for all markets. The traders’ associations will be given time to remove encroachments or implement fire safety measures.
“If they do not adhere to the recommendations, the civic body will file police cases and, if needed, also revoke the trade licences of the traders found flouting safety norms,” an official said.
