The fire department has issued a notice directing the immediate evacuation of three floors of Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee’s office on Camac Street in Kolkata, citing serious deficiencies in the building’s fire safety arrangements.
Basement and two floors declared unsafe
According to the notice, the basement, sixth floor and seventh floor of the building cannot be used until the identified safety issues are addressed. The fire department has also described certain portions of the building as “dangerous” and directed that the three floors be vacated immediately.
Inspection follows recent Camac Street incident
The development comes days after a fire department inspection at the office. The inspection was conducted following a chaotic incident last week over the removal of a billboard outside Abhishek’s Camac Street office.
During the inspection, officials reportedly found several irregularities in the building’s fire safety arrangements. The office’s fire safety certificate had also expired on August 10 and had not been renewed.
Department sought explanation over violations
The department had earlier sought an explanation within 48 hours over the violations. However, officials were reportedly not satisfied with the response and subsequently issued the evacuation notice.
Six fire safety violations detected
The inspection identified six types of fire safety violations. Among the concerns was inadequate water availability for firefighting on the seventh floor. Officials also reportedly found no designated fire exit for emergency evacuation and said the fire alarm system was not functioning properly.
Officials question continued use of building
Several other deficiencies in the fire safety arrangements were also detected. The fire department questioned why the building was being used for office operations despite the alleged absence of adequate fire safety measures.
Notice copies sent to civic authorities
Copies of the latest notice have been sent to Shakespeare Sarani Police Station, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and CESC.
The fire department has now directed that the basement, sixth floor, and seventh floor be vacated immediately. The affected areas will remain unavailable until the identified fire safety concerns are addressed and the premises are considered safe for use.
