Fireplace Companies Minister Kaushik Chowdhury mentioned the identities of these killed have been but to be established. The deceased included each Indian and Bangladeshi nationals, he mentioned after visiting the location.
“We are attempting to determine their identities. The scenario inside this constructing may be very dangerous. There are a number of resorts inside this constructing. I’m shocked to see what was happening right here,” Chowdhury mentioned.
Requested about the reason for the hearth, the minister mentioned it may have been attributable to a brief circuit. “However a forensic examination would reveal what led to the blaze,” he mentioned.
“The constructing administration didn’t adjust to primary security and development norms. It’s alleged that there have been a number of irregularities within the functioning of the resort,” the minister added.
The state authorities ordered an inquiry into the hearth late on Wednesday night time. Lalbazar, the headquarters of the Kolkata Police, has additionally shaped a particular investigation staff (SIT) to inquire into the incident.
City Growth and Municipal Affairs Minister Agnimitra Paul accused the earlier Trinamool Congress authorities of negligence, questioning how the Kolkata Municipal Company had authorized so many resorts and institutions in a cramped five-storey constructing.
She additionally accused the state Fireplace Companies division below the earlier regime of issuing hearth licences to the resorts with out correct verification.
Many of the boarders, together with a number of Bangladeshi nationals, had come to Kolkata from totally different elements of the state and elsewhere for medical therapy. They stayed within the resorts within the constructing due to the low room charges, which ranged from Rs 500 to Rs 800.
