Shikha Inn tragedy: Kolkata shuts 919 hotels, guesthouses over fire safety violations

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation has issued closure notices to 919 guest houses or hotels in the city, Municipal Commissioner Smita Pandey said on Tuesday. As informed by the administrator, there are more than 3,000 licences issued by the civic body. The KMC is said to have inspected 960 hotels and guest houses till September 7. 'Of the 960, we have issued closure notices to 919 guest houses. The number of compliant instances is only 41. Most of these guest houses did not have fire compliance, which is absolutely non-negotiable,' the administrator said. The closure notice comes after at least nine people, including seven Bangladeshi nationals, were killed after a devastating fire broke out at Hotel Shikha Inn on Mirza Ghalib Street in Kolkata's busy New Market area in August. Several others were injured in the blaze, which has cast a pall of gloom over the city. The civic body has given an opportunity to the owners of the assembly buildings to comply with the norms and reapply for licences on a suo motu basis. However, those establishments found to have converted the basic nature of the premises from residential to commercial by dividing a few residential rooms into guest houses would not be reconsidered, following safety concerns for people. Simultaneously, the civic body would continue to hold hearings of the non-compliant commercial premises. As informed by the municipal commissioner, around 10 to 11 applications have been received by the civic body so far. The KMC has also kicked off a three-day Janashivir of the Assessment Department to address the grievances of assessees. The three-day drive, starting today, is being held at the borough offices, where citizens would be able to get their issues resolved, according to Pandey. After the hotel fire, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari expressed condolences to the bereaved families and directed officials to ensure free and advanced treatment for those injured. However, he also launched a scathing attack on the erstwhile Trinamool Congress government, alleging that years of administrative negligence and indifference had allowed hotels and commercial establishments to operate without adequate fire-safety infrastructure. Copyright: ANN/The Statesman