Kolkata issues closure notices to 919 hotels over fire safety lapses

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation has issued temporary closure notices to 919 hotels and guest houses across the city for failing to meet fire safety norms. The action follows inspections of 960 establishments, of which only 41 were found compliant.

KMC Commissioner Smita Pandey said public safety could not be compromised. She noted that there is a bare minimum mandate that establishments must follow, including the provision of fire entry and exit points.

The inspections were tightened after a fire at Shikha Inn on Mirza Ghalib Street killed at least nine people, including seven Bangladeshi nationals. The tragedy spotlighted fire safety concerns in an area dotted with hundreds of small hotels.

In recent weeks, many hotels have seen their doors locked and shutters down. The closures have affected tourists, particularly visitors from Bangladesh who come to the Park Street and Esplanade areas for medical treatment. Some have complained that room rates at the few hotels still operating have risen sharply.

Hotel owners say they are caught in a bind over building documents. Mantosh Kumar Saha, who runs a hotel on Mirza Ghalib Street, said some establishments have been operating for 40 to 60 years in buildings that are 100 to 150 years old. The fire department has sought original building plans to issue safety recommendations, but owners who rent the premises say they do not have access to such old records.

Saha added that no hotel owner would operate outside the law and that they have kept their establishments closed until they receive clearance to resume business. The lack of access to building plans has left many owners in limbo.

Meanwhile, with the state government increasing its focus on fire safety, authorities have begun simultaneous audits of shopping malls and complexes. Several major malls in Kolkata and its adjoining areas, including South City, Mani Square, Star, Hiland Park and Acropolis, underwent fire safety checks on Wednesday.