A police officer said that the incident of fire occurred at 6.10 pm. Eastern Railway spokesman Kamal Dev Das said that there was a fire in the New Koilaghat building.
Kolkata. A fire broke out on the 13th floor of a multi-storey building in Kolkata’s Strand Road area on Monday evening. This building has offices of Eastern Railway. A Kolkata Police official said that the fire incident occurred at 6.10 pm. Eastern Railway spokesman Kamal Dev Das said that there was a fire in the New Koilaghat building. It has zonal offices of Eastern Railway and South Eastern Railway and a computerized ticket booking center on the ground floor. The process of booking has also been affected due to the fire.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed grief over the incident of arson and announced compensation of Rs 2 lakh. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who reached the spot late at night, said that nine people have died in a multi-storey New Koilaghat building on Strand Road. Fire and Emergency Services Minister Sujit Basu said that four fire personnel, an assistant sub-inspector posted at Hare Street police station and an RPF personnel were among those killed in the incident.
The Chief Minister also visited the spot. Kolkata Police Commissioner Soumen Mitra, Fire Service Minister Sujit Basu and Municipal Corporation Minister Firhad Hakim were already present on the occasion before they arrived. During this, the CM announced that the state government will give a government job and compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the families of the victims.
We had asked for a plan from the railways-
Mamta CM said- ‘This is a terrible fire. People were killed trying to use the lift. There are apprehensions that 2 more people have died. Their bodies have not been recovered yet. Five of the nine people who died were trapped in an elevator. Sujit Basu said, ‘We will investigate why firemen and police officers used the lift. It is completely against drill rules.
The five people killed in the accident allegedly tried to reach the 13th floor by lift. Due to heat and fire on the floor, he went to the lift. In an attempt to go to the upper floor, the elevator was choke.
At the same time, the CM alleged that our fire service department had asked for a building plan so that we could deal with the fire effectively, but we did not get any cooperation from the railway authorities. I still did not see any railway official on the spot. But I do not want to do politics on such tragedies.
PM, railway minister and BJP president expressed grief
At the same time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed grief over this accident. The PM said that people lost their lives in a fire accident in Kolkata. In this hour of grief, condolences to the bereaved families. I wish that the injured get healed as soon as possible. The PMO tweeted that Rs 2 lakh will be given from the PMNRF and 50,000 to the seriously injured for the families of those who lost their lives due to the horrific fire in Kolkata.
On this incident, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said that my condolences to the families of 9 dead, including 4 fire personnel, 2 railway personnel and a police ASI. An ex-gratia amount of Rs 2-2 lakh has been approved from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund for families. 50,000 will be given to the seriously injured.
BJP national president JP Nadda said that due to the fire in Kolkata, people lost their lives. In this hour of grief, my condolences to the afflicted families. I pray that the injured recover as soon as possible. The BJP is with the bereaved families and will provide all possible help.
