Kolkata: An informal assessment by hotel and lodge operators in central Kolkata’s hospitality hub of Free School Street, Marquis Street and Sudder Street has indicated that nearly 90% of hotels, guest houses and lodges in the cluster may be operating without mandatory fire safety clearances. This has raised concerns that a govt crackdown following Wednesday’s fatal blaze could force a large number of establishments to shut down.The assessment comes a day after a devastating fire in Shikha Inn at 15G Mirza Ghalib Street claimed nine lives, putting the spotlight on fire safety compliance across the densely populated commercial district also referred to as “Mini Bangladesh” due to a large concentration of tourists from the neighbouring nation.The area has more than 500 hotels, guest houses and lodges, employing several thousand people, and stretches across Marquis Street, Sudder Street, Collin Street, Free School Street, Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road, Mirza Ghalib Street and adjoining lanes.Some hotel owners and operators met informally on Wednesday night to assess the fallout from the tragedy. Their meeting followed Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s decision to constitute a five-member team to conduct a city-wide fire safety audit, along with a Kolkata Police Special Investigation Team probe into the circumstances surrounding the fire.For hotel owners and operators, the prospect of a strict audit has raised fears that widespread non-compliance could result in the closure of a significant proportion of establishments.“If the rulebook is enforced without taking the structural limitations of these buildings into account, around 90% of these units will simply have to shut down,” said a long-time lodge owner on Marquis Street who was at the meeting.They said the problem is rooted partly in the age and design of the buildings that house much of the area’s hospitality business. Many guest houses occupy decades-old residential or heritage-era structures with narrow entrances, cramped corridors, internal wooden or plywood partitions and limited scope for structural alterations.“It is structurally impossible to implement at least half of the present fire safety guidelines in these buildings,” said the owner. “We cannot expand staircases or construct external emergency exits without compromising the structural integrity of the buildings.”Operators also pointed to a lack of space in many premises for dedicated emergency exits and water reservoirs required under fire safety regulations.The assessment has simultaneously raised questions about regulatory oversight. Several operators acknowledged that establishments have been functioning without valid Fire No-Objection Certificates, while continuing to receive trade licence renewals through administrative or online processes.“The reality across this entire hub is that formal Fire NOCs are rare,” said Sujit Roy (name changed), another local guest house operator. “Most establishments have been operating through ‘informal arrangements’ with local authorities for years. While trade licences were renewed online, physical safety compliance checks were rarely conducted on the ground.”“The govt crackdown could have far-reaching consequences for the area’s economy. A closure of a substantial number of hotels and lodges would affect not only hotel owners but also thousands of employees and a wider network of restaurants, shops, travel agencies, transport operators and other businesses dependent on visitor traffic,” said Hyder Ali Khan, general secretary of Free School Street Traders’ Association.
