One killed, 500 shanties destroyed in Kolkata fire (Second Lead)

KOLKATA - One person was killed, about 500 shanties were destroyed and train services in Eastern Railway’s Sealdah division disrupted as a major fire swept Ultadanga area in north eastern Kolkata Tuesday.

The fire, which broke out in a slum, spread rapidly, fire brigade and police officials said. A portion of the nearby Bidhannagar Road railway station was also damaged.

As many as 35 fire tenders brought the leaping flames, which initially rose as high as 15 feet, under control after a two-hour effort.

The body of a youth, who resided in the slum, was recovered from the debris, Joint Commissioner of Police (Heaquarters) Javed Shamim told IANS.

“Between 400 and 500 shanties were razed,” he said.

Suburban train services between Ultadanga and Dum Dum stations in the Sealdah division’s north section had to be stopped for about two hours as the power supply in the overhead wires was temporarily cut off by the railway authorities as a precautionary measure.

“We cut off power supply in the overhead wire to avert any big accident. This apart, many people also came on to the railway tracks as their shanties were gutted,” an Eastern Railways spokesperson told IANS.

Consequently, 12 pairs of EMU trains had to be cancelled and a number of others were stopped en route. The 3106 down Sealdah-bound Balia Express had to be stopped short of Bidhannagar Road station during the period.

Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee visited the area in the evening to take stock of the situation and the damage.

A Trinamool Congress leader claimed that the slum dwellers raised slogans against Bhattacharjee, but the police did not confirm it.

According to fire department officials, the blaze broke out due to a short circuit and soon spread in the entire area, reducing hundreds of shanties in Ultadanga slum to ashes.

“The fire spread fast as a few gas cylinders also exploded. The fire brigade arrived a little late as it was caught in the road blockade staged by Trinamool Congress activists Tuesday,” state fire services chief Gopal Bhattacharjee told reporters at the spot.

“We’ll carry out a thorough investigation into the accident,” Kolkata Police Commissioner Gautam Mohan Chakraborty said.