Kolkata, Aug 17 (IANS) After seven people died in a devastating hotel fire at Tarapith in West Bengal’s Birbhum district, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator from Rampurhat Assembly Constituency, Dhruba Saha, accused the local development authority of giving permission to the hotel against money, ignoring objections to setting up the hotel in a thickly crowded lane.
Speaking to the media persons on Monday afternoon, Saha claimed the Tarapith-Rampurhat Development Authority (TRDA) should not have given permission for the hotel in such a crowded lane.
“Even after receiving the news of the fire, it took quite a while for the fire brigade to arrive. How was permission given to build a hotel in that place? Such a big building. But there were minimal firefighting arrangements there. The building was virtually a House of Lacquer. Surely there was a bribery element behind the permission for the hotel. It seems that TRDA did not even check whether there were firefighting arrangements. Who will take responsibility for the death of these seven people?” Saha questioned.
Incidentally, the previous Trinamool Congress legislator from Rampurhat Assembly Constituency, Asish Banerjee, who was also the former Deputy Speaker of West Bengal, was found dead in a party office room at his residence on Sunday.
In the suicide note recovered from the spot, the deceased leader also mentioned rampant corruption in TRDA and claimed that he was helpless as the former MLA in checking that corruption.
Now, with allegations by the current MLA, the corruption in TRDA has come to light.
Meanwhile, the District Police Superintendent of Birbhum, Vidit Raj Bundesh, told the media persons that the allegations of lack of adequate fire safety arrangements at the hotel are being looked into.
“Already, the owner, Kalyan Paul, has been arrested. Our officers are interrogating him now. Strict punishment will be taken against those whose negligence led to such a tragedy. A forensic team is already at the spot. It is being investigated whether the fire license was in order,” Bundesh added.
–IANS
src/dpb
