Fire in Kolkata's Khidirpur market: Locals blame fire brigade's late arrival as 1,300 shops feared gutted

The fire broke out at a little later than 1 am on Monday.

The blaze spread fast across the shops due to the congestion in the area.

Twenty fire engines were rushed to the spot at night. The fire was brought under control after the nightlong efforts by the fire brigade.

Locals have vented their anger against the state administration alleging there was a delay in the arrival of fire engines.

People in the area said the losses could have been restricted had the fire engines reached the area on time.

Levelling a shocking allegation, one of the shopkeepers alleged the fire brigade did not have water and oil in its pump as a result water could not be pumped out from the nearest river.

Responding to the locals' claim, West Bengal Fire and Emergency Services Minister Sujit Bose said, "A minimum time is required for the fire engines to arrive. The fire engines arrived from Watgunge, head office and Garden Reach. Firefighters work risking their lives.

"There are shopkeepers who do not follow the guidelines. I am not blaming anyone though. We will take care of the incident."

Later in the day, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited the area. 

Mamata said the market will be reconstructed adhering to all scientific guidelines and in the meantime, the affected shops will be relocated to an area nearby. 

The Chief Minister has promised to rebuild the gutted shops besides announcing Rs. 1 lakh for all whose shops were completely destroyed and Rs. 50,000 for the ones whose shops were partially damaged.