Devastating fire leaves 30 families homeless, admin extends support

Malda: In a swift response to the plights of 30 families left homeless by a devastating fire in Durgaramtola village under Birnagar-I Gram Panchayat (GP) of Kaliachak Block-III, the Malda district administration extended timely aid and support. The fire, which broke out around noon on Sunday, completely gutted makeshift homes of families who had been displaced by river erosion in 2021 and were living on borrowed land. The blaze, believed to have originated from a rooftop kitchen, rapidly spread and destroyed belongings of these distressed families.

Acting promptly on the orders of the District Magistrate, Block Development Officer (BDO) of Kaliachak-III, Sukanta Sikdar, arrived at the scene on Monday morning with emergency relief kits. Along with Panchayat Pradhan Tinku Das, he distributed tarpaulins, clothing and essential food supplies to the affected families at the Birnagar-I Panchayat office.

The BDO also assured the victims that the administration is exploring the possibility of providing land pattas to the landless families in the future.

“We distributed food items and dress materials along with disaster management kits among the affected families on Monday morning.

I shall also talk to BLLRO to check the possibility of giving them land pattas,” Sarkar stated.

While the relief efforts brought some comfort to the victims, concerns over fire safety remain high. In a related incident on the same day, a fire destroyed two rooftop kitchens in Kahala village under Mothabari Police Station. Locals, citing repeated fire outbreaks and delays in fire service response from Malda town, renewed their demand for a dedicated fire station in Mothabari.