Burrabazar fire report to be ready by March 30

KOLKATA: The reason behind the fire at a Burrabazar building on December 21 will be fixed by March 30, West Bengal fire services minister Pratim Chatterjee told the state Assembly on Monday.
In reply to a question from SUCI member Debaprasad Sarkar, Chatterjee said the forensic report on the cause of the fire was now being studied by experts. Though there were reports of 165 families staying in the building, besides godowns, the minister said the confirmed figures would be known only after an inquiry committee instituted by the state government submitted its report.
To prevent the recurrence of big fires, the state fire services Act had been amended and provisions made more stringent, he stressed.
This was being done in view of reports that some promoters had their hands behind such fires.
Apparently, there was no such nexus in case of the Firpo’s Market fire as the lease of the land was to have expired in a few years’ time and it would not be possible for promoters to build a multistoried house there. The shops, as they were,would be restored, promised the present owners.
But the proposal to collect service charge for dousing fires had not yet been finalised, replied Chatterjee to a question from Congress member Abdul Mannan.