Residents look for their belongings in the charred remains of a slum near New Alipore Bridge where a massive fire broke out, in Kolkata on Sunday, December 22, 2024
| Photo Credit: ANI
Hundreds of slum and shanty residents in multiple areas of Kolkata have been rendered homeless in winter following consecutive fires last week.
On the night of December 21, a massive blaze reduced nearly 50 shanties to ashes in a slum adjoining the railway tracks under Durgapur bridge in Kolkata’s New Alipore. Nineteen fire engines along with Indian Army personnel from the nearby New Alipore camp were deployed to bring the blaze under control. Trinamool Congress (TMC) Ministers Aroop Biswas and Firhad Hakim rushed to the spot on Saturday (December 21, 2024).
Two days later, on Monday (December 23, 2024), as the survivors were counting their losses from the fire, local Trinamool councillor Jui Biswas rebuked them for illegally encroaching on Railway land. “Where are your papers? Do you have permission to live on Railway land?” Ms. Biswas asked survivors during her visit to the site of the fire on Monday. “Not only have you illegally occupied Railway land, but you have also leased it out,” she said.
Slum dwellers lost their belongings to the blaze, including their identification and education documents, valuables, and livestock such as goats and poultry.
“We have a nine-month-old baby. The child’s birth documents, polio documents, everything got charred in the fire,” one of the survivors said. “Where will we get the money to recover our losses or sustain ourselves now?” she added. She also alleged that the Railways had not made any attempt to relocate the encroachers or arrange for alternative housing for them, despite many claiming that they have lived under the bridge for several decades.
Railway authorities have denied any claims for compensation, with multiple drives and attempts to evict the encroachers.
After the blaze, many of the slum dwellers were moved to temporary shelters in nearby schools and clubhouses.
Another major blaze at the Mazdoor Basti in East Kolkata’s Topsia region burnt down another slum, with around 150 to 200 shanty houses being charred to ashes on the afternoon of December 20. Fifteen fire tenders rushed to the spot to bring the blaze under control.
Slum dwellers who lost their houses in the fire alleged that fire engines took longer than usual to arrive despite the fire station being nearby. They also alleged that the fire engines were ill-equipped, and pelted stones and bricks at the fire and police personnel.
In this incident too, hundreds were rendered homeless. There were no casualties in the fire.
“We have ordered a forensic examination of the sites of the fires. Meanwhile, I have asked the Chief Secretary to get the Durgapur bridge examined as well since the fire might have affected the bottom of the bridge,” Fire and Emergency Services Minister Sujit Bose said.
After primary checks, the Kolkata Municipal Development Authority confirmed that the Durgapur Bridge is in good functional condition.
Published – December 23, 2024 07:47 pm IST