919 Kolkata hotels, guest houses get temporary closure notices for fire safety violations

Kolkata: Temporary closure notices have been served on 919 hotels and guest houses in Kolkata for failing to comply with mandatory fire safety norms, officials said.

The notices were issued after joint inspections by the state fire services department, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and Kolkata Police, with only 41 of the 960 establishments inspected so far found to be compliant with the required fire safety measures, they said.

The inspection drive was intensified following the fire at Shikha Inn, a guest house on Mirza Ghalib Street in central Kolkata, in the early hours of August 19. Nine people, including seven Bangladeshi nationals, were killed in the blaze.


Also read | Gold prices soar, Indians swap old jewellery for new as advance purchase schemes lose shine

The establishments served closure notices will have to upgrade their fire safety measures in accordance with prescribed norms and obtain a Renewal of Fire Safety Certificate (RFSC) before applying afresh for licences to resume operations, officials said.

The joint teams have so far inspected around 960, or nearly one-fourth, of the approximately 3,700 hotels and guest houses operating in the city. The inspections will continue at the remaining establishments, they said.

Last week, the state fire and emergency services department ordered the immediate evacuation of the basement and the sixth and seventh floors of a commercial building on Camac Street, where the office of TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee is located, citing non-compliance with mandatory fire safety measures, they added.

The department, following an inspection on August 31, declared the two upper floors "unsafe from a fire and life-safety point of view".

Also read | Tatas nose ahead in landmark race for India's own next-gen tank; Mahindra also gets a shot at glory

The TMC has challenged the order in the Calcutta High Court, which has granted it leave to file an urgent writ petition. The matter is likely to be heard later this week.