Fire Exposes Illegal Floors in Kolkata Building

A tragic fire at Kolkata's Florence Mansion, located at 15 G, Mirza Ghalib Street, resulted in the deaths of nine people, seven of whom were Bangladeshi citizens. The incident has brought to light serious building code violations, as the five-storey structure had illegally added three floors two years prior. This unauthorized construction occurred while the building was in plain sight and was subsequently used to house returning Bangladeshi tourists.

Kolkata Municipal Corporation's (KMC) building department had previously identified and demolished an illegal construction at the same address three years ago. However, after a lull in Bangladeshi visitors due to visa restrictions, the demolished sections were reportedly repaired and the three additional floors were completed. A buildings department official expressed shock at the rebuilt and rented-out illegal section, noting it lacked plan sanction.

This situation has led to skepticism among locals and officials, questioning how such extensive illegal construction could go unnoticed by civic authorities, especially since Florence Mansion is located less than a kilometer from the KMC headquarters. Numerous other lodges and guest houses in the New Market-Sudder Street area are also known to have irregularities.

Industry insiders suggest a systemic issue involving touts and potentially compromised civic personnel who facilitate illegal conversions and additions, allowing operators to evade scrutiny. This has led to a rapid increase in budget lodges and guest houses in the area, many operating in older buildings not designed for such commercial use. Hoteliers acknowledge the pressure to increase capacity often leads to the disregard of safety rules. The number of guest houses in the area has reportedly doubled since 2010, with many flouting multiple norms.

Ongoing civic and police investigations are expected to scrutinize how these unauthorized constructions evaded previous demolition drives, if inspection reports were manipulated, and who permitted the commercial occupation of rebuilt illegal structures.