A significant fire incident occurred on Wednesday at the new administrative office building situated within the Alipore Police Court complex in Kolkata. This building, commonly referred to as the office of the additional district magistrate, houses the South 24 Parganas Zilla Parishad office along with several other government departments.
Timeline of the Incident
Shortly after 9:30 am, local residents observed smoke emanating from the eight-storey structure. Within minutes, thick smoke engulfed the vicinity as the fire rapidly propagated, resulting in extensive damage. Alarmed citizens promptly alerted the fire brigade, and initially, five fire engines were dispatched to the scene.
Rescue Operations
Firefighters successfully rescued five individuals from the building. Two of these rescued persons required immediate medical attention and were rushed to the hospital. Among them was Shahbuddin Mollah, a 48-year-old building staff member, who is currently under observation at SSKM Hospital.
Locals reported that firefighters also rescued workers who were engaged in painting the upper floors. Police confirmed that four persons were rescued from within the building, and another was rescued from the roof.
Cause and Spread of Fire
Firefighters suspect that the blaze was triggered by a short circuit. It is believed that the fire originated on the third floor, which houses the zilla parishad karmadaksha office (along with the second floor), and quickly spread to the NIC department. The flames subsequently engulfed the education department, mid-day meal section, and horticulture department. Due to the intensity of the fire, firefighters had to break windowpanes to bring it under control. Power supply to the affected building was cut off.
The fire completely engulfed the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth floors of the building. Notably, the third floor also houses the NIC office, which is responsible for maintaining servers of all government departments in the district. This facility provides internet connectivity to all government offices.
Impact on Government Operations
An employee at the department, Enamul Hossain, expressed grave concerns: "The entire system of all government offices is connected from here. If the internet goes down, all government websites will collapse. A large number of important documents have also been destroyed in the fire." There are fears that official documents may have been destroyed in the incident.
Eyewitness Accounts
Eyewitness Md Shahnawaz recounted, "The fire spread to both wings, affecting several department offices inside. The staff working indoors was filled with panic as smoke filled the building." Fire services managed to bring the situation under control before it escalated further.
Hundreds of government employees gathered at the complex gates, some clicking photos and recording videos, while others made calls as they awaited updates from fire brigade officials.
A staffer of the Motor Vehicles department, Sahadev Patra, observed that most employees had come to see the fire. "There was fire spotted from all corners of the building. It was not just smoke. Flames were visible from even the main gate of the Bhawani Bhawan. More than 500-plus employees work here. We are worried when can we resume work again," Patra lamented.
Political Reactions
The office of Jahangir Khan, the arrested Trinamool Congress leader from Falta in Diamond Harbour, is also located in the same building. In this context, the BJP has demanded a proper investigation into the incident. BJP functionary and port candidate Rakesh Singh claimed, "Why did it break out from Karmadakshya's office? With Jahangir in jail, even Abhishek Banerjee is worried."
Firefighting Efforts
In total, 12 fire tenders were pressed into action. As of 5:30 pm, smoke was still emanating from the fourth floor, indicating that the fire had not yet been fully brought under control. Firefighters continued their efforts to completely extinguish the blaze.
