KOLKATA: Limited vehicle manoeuvrable space owing to hawker encroachment in New Market proved costly for a shop there as fire tenders could not reach in time to douse a fire that had engulfed the establishment on Wednesday.
The fire tenders had to take a longer route because the shortest possible approach to the spot is encroached by hawkers. The fire trucks could access the area nearly 20 minutes after the firemen reached the spot. The delay, fire department officers said, could have proved disastrous had it been a bigger blaze.
Around 4.45pm, a short circuit started a fire on a mezzanine floor of Gupta Jee, a shop in G-block that sells bed covers. Within minutes smoke engulfed the entire area. The area was teeming with Eid shoppers at the time.
Mohammad Anwar Khan, a shopowner, said, “The entire block was evacuated. Many traders moved merchandise out of their shops”
Four fire tenders brought the fire under control. “The nearest fire station is on Free School Street and it would not have taken us more than five minutes to reach New Market. But as the area is encroached by hawkers, fire tenders could not reach the Biryani House entrance opposite Nizam’s, which was the easiest point of access to Gupta Jee. Instead, we had to go via
SN Banerjee Road and take the Bertram Street entrance. It cost us 20 minutes,’ a senior fire officer said.
SS Hogg Market Traders’ Association president Ashok Gupta said, “We have been petitioning the mayor and the MMiC (market) regularly to regulate hawkers so that vehicles can access the market. While we lose business around the year as shoppers cannot park their cars, it becomes critical when there is an emergency. It is a heritage market that belongs to KMC and deserves better care.”
Hawker encroachment near the Biryani House gate