The West Bengal Fire Department has ordered the evacuation of the basement and two floors of a high-rise on Camac Street that houses Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee’s office, citing fire safety deficiencies. The order covers the basement, sixth and seventh floors of the building at 9 Camac Street. Banerjee’s office occupies the sixth and seventh floors.
According to the Fire Department, a joint team of police and fire officials inspected the building floor by floor on Monday. The inspection reportedly found inadequate firefighting arrangements on the seventh floor, the absence of a designated fire exit and issues with the fire alarm system.
The fire department also found no fire safety arrangements in the basement. “No fire safety measures were traced in the basement of the high-rise. Following that, we served a show-cause notice to the owner of the building and gave them a 48-hour deadline,” a fire department official told PTI.
The official said the deadline expired without a response, following which the evacuation notice was issued. “If the basement of any building has no fire safety measures, it could lead to a big disaster in case of a fire,” the official said. The building’s fire safety certificate expired on August 10 and has not yet been renewed, according to the department. The notice states that the basement and sixth and seventh floors cannot be used until the identified deficiencies are addressed and a valid fire safety certificate is obtained.
The action comes a day after Abhishek Banerjee’s office was allegedly vandalised, triggering a fresh political confrontation in Bengal. The TMC accused BJP-linked men of the attack, while the BJP denied any involvement.
The TMC MP’s office housed in the Camac Street building has been embroiled in controversy over the last couple of weeks. On Thursday, the office was allegedly vandalised, with the TMC blaming BJP-linked individuals. Police subsequently arrested six people from neighbouring Howrah in connection with the incident. Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Kunal Agarwal said the accused would be questioned to establish their motive and determine whether they had any political links.
The incident occurred roughly a week after authorities removed an “illegal” TMC billboard from the same building. The billboard removal had led to a confrontation involving Banerjee’s private security personnel, supporters, party leaders, police and Kolkata Municipal Corporation officials.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee condemned the alleged attack and warned that her party could organise protests outside BJP leaders’ residences in New Delhi if what she called “atrocities” against the TMC continued. The BJP has denied any role in the vandalism.
