Kolkata, September 2: In response to two tragic hotel fires in West Bengal last month that claimed 18 lives, the state fire service announced significant changes on Wednesday. Each incident resulted in nine fatalities.
The fires occurred in Tarapith, Birbhum district, and on Mirza Ghalib Street in Kolkata.
The fire service department has transferred a total of 17 divisional fire officers (DFOs) as part of this overhaul. Among those transferred is Shubhankar Ghosh, who previously served as the DFO for South Kolkata and oversaw the hotel on Mirza Ghalib Street. He has been replaced by Nihar Ranjan Roy, formerly the DFO for North 24 Parganas.
Arindam Debnath, the current DFO for Birbhum Division, has been reassigned to the Bankura Division. Shyam Sundar Dey, the former DFO of Bankura, will now take over Debnath’s position in Birbhum.
Recently, there were incidents of hotel fires in South Kolkata and Birbhum Division. One fire in the Mirza Ghalib Street area resulted in nine deaths, including a Bangladeshi national. Just days earlier, another fire in a hotel in Tarapith also claimed nine lives.
In both cases, the state fire service department identified significant negligence regarding fire safety regulations. Given these incidents, the extensive transfers of DFOs appear crucial. However, the state government has labeled these transfers as routine.
Amid the consecutive hotel fires in Tarapith and Mirza Ghalib Street, the state government has initiated a review of internal deficiencies in the licensing process for hotels, lodges, and guesthouses. The Bharatiya Janata Party government has decided to tighten regulations regarding the issuance of essential permits, including the ‘Fire Safety Certificate’ and ‘Fire License.’
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