Kolkata: The fire that claimed the lives of nine people, including Bangladeshi nationals, at Shikha Inn on Free School Street (Mirza Ghalib Street) in the early hours of Wednesday has brought renewed scrutiny on fire-safety violations in the dense cluster of budget accommodation around New Market, including on Lindsay Street and Sudder Street. Locals described the situation on Free School Street as a “free-for-all”, alleging that violations of building and fire-safety norms are commonplace. Several establishments in the area operate from residential buildings that have been converted into commercial properties after being leased to hotel, lodge and guest-house operators. Sources said some buildings have a mixed-use arrangement, with portions continuing to function as residences while other floors or sections operate as hotels.Guests at these establishments alleged that basic fire-safety infrastructure, including emergency exits, alarms, fire extinguishers and firefighting equipment, is either inadequate or absent. Rooms in several hotels are available for as low as Rs 500-Rs 1,500 a day. The Shikha Inn tragedy has now left many guests questioning whether the low tariffs come at the cost of safety.Debdas Kumar from Bangladesh’s Baura is staying at a hotel behind the building where the fire broke out. He is in Kolkata with his wife, who is undergoing treatment for a kidney ailment. “We are on the second floor and there is no passage for escape if a similar fire happens here. Firefighting equipment, including alarms and extinguishers, are nowhere in sight. We prefer to stay in this area as we know it well, and New Market is nearby. After this incident, we won’t be able to sleep peacefully in the hotel,” Kumar said.Another Bangladeshi visitor, Md Azmul from Khulna, who is staying at a lodge close to the fire-ravaged hotel, said: “The hotel corridor is so narrow that 10 people cannot run out together if there is an emergency. There is only one entrance, and the staircase is narrow, too. The building also lacks proper ventilation. People will choke to death.” “We put up at hotels in this area as suggested by our travel operators, but this is not a wise idea given the lack of safety measures. These cheap hotels can become death traps,” he said.Arfin Mian Dipu, who has been coming to the city since the mid-1990s, said the rapid expansion of budget hotels had not translated into better safety standards.“I have been coming to Kolkata since the mid-1990s. Several hundred hotels have mushroomed in the area, but the condition remains the same. Cramped rooms, narrow corridors, and absence of ventilation are regular features in these hotels,” he said.According to Dipu, affordability remains a major factor behind tourists choosing such accommodation.“A large section of tourists does not have a big budget to afford better hotels. They settle for these budget hotels, compromising on safety,” he said.The area has emerged as a key accommodation zone for Bangladeshi tourists, many of whom prefer to stay close to New Market because of its proximity to shopping areas, transport links and medical facilities. Hotel owners in the area said the intense demand for rooms, particularly during peak tourist seasons, has created a strong incentive for some operators to maximise the available space.“During peak tourist season, people wait outside hotels, waiting for rooms to become vacant. In such a scenario, many hotel owners have illegally made partitions inside to increase the number of rooms. Common spaces have been converted into dormitories. Some have even covered the terraces and converted them into rooms,” said the owner of a hotel on Marquis Street.
