Bagri market renovation begins

KOLKATA : Work to install a state-of-the-art firefighting system and repair the electrical wiring has begun at Bagri market and it may reopen at the end of this year. A blaze had gutted two hundred shops there last month.


Traders feel that once an effective firefighting system is in place, it will make it easier for them to procure a no-objection certificate from the fire department, the KMC and the police.

President of the Bagri Market Central Kolkata Traders’ Welfare Association Asutosh Singh said, “We have engaged contractors empanelled with the fire department and are following all the fire-safety guidelines.” The department has instructed the traders to augment the water storage capacity, install fire alarms and sprinklers, procure high-pressure pumps and get a detailed map of the market.

The market remained shut since the fire, resulting in losses of over several hundred crores. Traders are hopeful of getting the permission to reopen the unaffected portion of the market soon. The market has almost 1,000 shops, of which 200 were gutted.

“The market may reopen before the end of this year,” Singh said.