Kolkata: Kolkata Police have got a major breakthrough on Wednesday while investigating the Bagree Market fire incident. Investigators have found a video footage where four young men could be seen fleeing the spot just after the fire broke out. These four unidentified men are the primary suspects. Investigators also came to know that on the roof of the market building, there were 24 water tanks with a capacity of 5,000 litres each. But all of them were empty for the past six months.
According to sources, after the fire occurred on Sunday, two young men were seen running away. Behind them, two more were seen leaving the scene riding a motorcycle. Analysing the footage, it evolved that when people were trying to arrest the fire using water, why were these four men trying to flee the spot.
Meanwhile, state Parliamentary Affairs minister Partha Chatterjee informed that though Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is out of the country, she is in constant touch with her ministers and officials who are supervising the whole incident and is taking regular updates.
From the first day of the fire, some of the local traders were under the impression that the fire did not occur due to the short circuit. Though it seemed like an accident, the locals were not sure about it. On Wednesday, after this video surfaced, the investigators are now focusing on the sabotage part and also checking the Close Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras of the locality to identify the four suspects.
On the other hand, it has also come to light that there were 24 water tanks for the purpose of firefighting management. On Sunday, when the firefighters reached the rooftop, they tried to open the valves but they got stuck. Later, the fire brigade personnel found that all the tanks were empty. They also learned that these tanks had been empty for the past six months.
The investigators are now considering whether these two points are internally connected with each other — first, the fleeing scene and later the empty water tanks. As of now, the police are emphasising these two points to go ahead with the investigation.
Meanwhile, senior officials of the Building department of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) will go inside the building that has been badly damaged only after forensic experts have completed their survey and collected samples from its burnt-out portions.
The KMC engineers will examine the structural strength of the building and will then take a call on whether to pull it down or allow repair.
Senior civic officials under the KMC Act, the owners of tenanted buildings that are in bad condition can pull down the structure with a proper rehabilitation of the tenants. In such cases, the KMC will give additional Floor Area Ratio (FAR) to the owner. The KMC has already given notices to the owners of tenanted buildings that are more than 50 years old to examine the health of the structure by empanelled structural engineers. Owners of many old tenanted buildings have approached the KMC to pull them down after arranging proper rehabilitation of the tenants.
Sources confirmed that the fire is now "completely" under control.