Several questions being raised over the fire tragedy in Kolkata

Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday set up a high-level committee to ascertain the cause of the fire mishap which broke out at the Eastern Railway office building. He added that all possible assistance is being provided by the Railways to the state government in connection with the 'unfortunate' fire accident.

Kolkata (West Bengal): At least nine people were killed in an inferno that broke out on Monday in a multi-storeyed building belonging to the Indian Railways in Kolkata, which houses zonal offices of Eastern Railway and South Eastern Railway.

According to sources, around 19 fire engines were deployed at the spot, however, only 17 of them were engaged in the rescue operations, which led to the fire being brought under control within a span of five hours.

Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who had rushed to the spot in the city's central business district, announced that the state government will pay a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each and a government job to each of the victim's kin.

However, among those deceased, four were firefighters and this has raised serious questions over the working and training being provided to the personnel in the safety and fire department.

Also, the fact as to why the elevators were not switched off immediately, why the trained firefighters used the elevator despite it being strictly prohibited in case of such accidents still remains unclear.

Several other questions as to why it took five hours to bring the fire under control, and also whether proper fire extinguishing methods were implemented, also needs to be answered.

It is also being speculated that the firefighters disobeyed the instructions of the top officials and that there were flaws in their training.

However, until a full inquiry is conducted into the matter, nothing can be ascertained yet.

(With agency inputs)