Over 919 Kolkata hotels receive temporary closure notices over fire safety lapses
For representative purpose only Photograph: (Unsplash)
A citywide fire safety inspection drive found most establishments falling short of basic safety norms. Of the 960 properties inspected, only 41 passed the final compliance check
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has issued temporary closure notices to 919 hotels and guest houses after a citywide fire safety inspection drive found most establishments falling short of basic safety norms. Of the 960 properties inspected, only 41 passed the final compliance check.
Crackdown follows deadly hotel fire
The stepped-up enforcement follows the fire last month at Hotel Shikha Inn on Mirza Ghalib Street, which killed at least nine people, including seven Bangladeshi nationals. The tragedy exposed long-standing safety gaps in the area's dense cluster of small, ageing hotels and prompted authorities to tighten inspection protocols across the city. KMC Commissioner Smita Pandey said the standards being enforced are basic and cannot be compromised, stressing that functioning fire exits are a minimum requirement for any establishment to operate.
Old buildings, missing paperwork
Many hotel owners in the Mirza Ghalib Street area, a neighbourhood popular with Bangladeshi visitors seeking medical treatment in Kolkata, say they are caught in a bureaucratic bind. Several properties have operated for decades, but the buildings themselves are far older, and owners who lease rather than own the premises say they cannot produce the original construction plans that fire officials are asking for. The wave of closures has reduced available rooms sharply in the area, and visitors have reported steep price increases at the handful of hotels still permitted to operate.
Path to reopening
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The KMC, which has issued more than 3,000 hotel licences overall, says non-compliant owners can rectify deficiencies and reapply for licences on their own initiative. However, officials have drawn a firm line on residential buildings illegally converted into commercial guest houses, which will be barred permanently from relicensing due to safety risks. Around a dozen compliance review applications have been received so far, with formal hearings underway. A three-day camp has also been launched to address assessment-related grievances directly.
Audits extend to shopping malls ahead of Durga Puja
With Durga Puja approaching and large crowds expected at commercial hubs, the West Bengal Fire and Emergency Services Department has widened its audit to major shopping malls and retail centres across several districts, including Kolkata, Howrah, North and South 24 Parganas, Darjeeling, and Paschim Bardhaman. Malls under review include South City, Mani Square, Forum Courtyard, City Centre 1 and 2, Acropolis, Quest Mall, Avani Riverside Mall, and Durgapur's Junction Mall, along with retail outlets such as Westside on Free School Street. Inspectors are checking firefighting equipment, evacuation routes, and safety clearances, particularly in high-footfall zones like food courts. Establishments that fail the audit face immediate operating restrictions until certified upgrades are completed.
