Kolkata fire: KMC says one floor of market is illegal

Kolkata: One floor of the five-storeyed building housing the Surya Sen market complex was found to be illegal by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), a civic official said hours after a devastating fire ravaged it claiming 19 lives in the early hours today. “One floor of the G+4 structure was found to be illegally constructed,” the official said. [caption id=“attachment_642770” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Firefighters at work at the scene of the fire in Kolkata. PTI[/caption] There were trade licences for 136 shops in the market, he said. City Mayor Sovan Chatterjee had said after a visit to the fire-ravaged market complex in Sealdah area that the KMC will inquire if any part of the building was illegally constructed. KMC sources said the civic body had decided to make surprise checks of fire-fighting arrangements in all KMC markets and update the present system. Security guards in such markets, they said, will be trained in fire-fighting operations. Besides, KMC will make arrangements for installing CCTVs in all its 46 markets, particularly those located in congested areas, the sources added. PTI