Fire in Kolkata slum, many shanties gutted

Kolkata, Dec 21 (PTI) A major fire broke out in a slum in Kolkata on Saturday evening, gutting around 40-50 shanties, an official said.

Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim, who visited the spot, said that there have been no reports of casualty.

The blaze erupted in a slum near a private hospital in New Alipore area in the southwestern part of the metropolis around 6.50 pm, a fire brigade official said.

Army personnel from the New Alipore Army camp joined the Fire Brigade personnel to fight the flames.

Sixteen fire tenders were pressed into service to control the blaze, which has been prevented from spreading further, the official added.

The fire tenders were still at work to fully douse the blaze which was raging in some pockets and it may take several more hours to douse it completely, he said.

Hakim, also the state's Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Minister, said that the shanties were on railway land beside the New Alipore road overbridge across rail tracks connecting Sealdah with Budge Budge station.

He said that the cause of the fire will be investigated.

Hakim wondered why incidents of fire were occurring frequently in shanties.

Congress state president Subhankar Sarkar, who visited the spot, expressed concern over frequent fires in slums and how the poor were the worst hit.

On Friday, several shanties were gutted in a fire at Topsia in east Kolkata. PTI AMR SUS ACD