No compromise on market safety issues : Mamata Banerjee

KOLKATA: Asserting she will not allow compromising safety aspects for the sake of business, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said there will be more continuous monitoring of markets from now on.

"We do not want to come in the way of traders carrying on their business, we don't want to run over things with bulldozer, but there can be no way we can allow playing with precious human lives by compromising with the safety aspects and put human lives to danger," Banerjee said at the Town Hall here.

She said while the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) will act as the nodal agency, the KMC, Kolkata Police, Disaster Management group, fire brigade will together carry on monitoring of the city markets on a sustained basis.

"We will allow markets to function only after they can obtain clearances from all sides," Banerjee said calling for the need for modernisation of markets, both run by KMC and privates ones sooner than later.

Banerjee, in this context referred to the fire-prone situations in different old buildings in city and also talked about state secretariat Writers Building which "remains a tinderbox" in parts.

She said the during the coming up of Rajarhat new town project, the buildings were not made in a disaster-prone way but her government was making it more stringent and full-proof.

Seven of the next of the kins of the Sealdah Market blaze victims were given cheques by the CM on the occasion during the day.

Banerjee also felicitated 100 persons - comprising Kolkata Police personnel, disaster management team members, civic police volunteers, fire brigade men, besides some locals - for their role in rescue work in the Sealdah fire on February 27 which claimed 20 lives.