Kolkata hotel fire deaths: PM Modi expresses grief, announces ex gratia for families of victims (Ld)

Kolkata, April 30 (IANS) At least 14 persons, including two children and one woman, were killed in a devastating fire at a six-storey hotel building at Madan Mohan Burman Street in central Kolkata. Expressing anguish at the loss of lives, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex gratia payment for the families of victims and those injured.

A post on X from the Prime Minister's Office said PM Modi has announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF to the next of kin of each deceased, and the injured would be given Rs 50,000.

"Anguished by the loss of lives due to a fire mishap in Kolkata. Condolences to those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon. An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000: PM," the post read.

The fire has been brought under control, and till now, 14 bodies have been recovered from within the hotel, confirmed Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Kumar Verma.

"Several people have been safely evacuated from the hotel rooms,” confirmed Verma.

The state government has formed a special investigation team (SIT) to investigate the matter. “The members of the SIT have already started the investigation. The member of the forensic team will be a part of the investigation,” Verma said.

According to eyewitnesses, the fire broke out on Tuesday night, and the matter came to the notice first when one staff Manoj Paswan, jumped out of the floors of the hotel building and died in the process. Ten fire tenders were rushed to the spot and started the firefighting process, and rescued the people trapped in the hotel building.

The fire came under control early Wednesday morning, and thereafter, a total of 13 bodies were recovered from the building.

The others, who were trapped in the building, have been safely evacuated, confirmed the Kolkata Mayor and the West Bengal Municipal Affairs & Urban Development Minister, Firhad Hakim, who rushed to the spot in the morning.

Preliminary investigation has revealed that those killed were not burned but were choked by the thick smoke within the building. The incident happened at a time when Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, along with almost her entire cabinet, is at Digha in East Midnapore district to attend the inauguration of the Lord Jagannath Temple modelled after the iconic Shree Jagannath Dham temple at Puri in Odisha.

At the time the report was filed, no reaction from the Chief Minister had surfaced. However, the state BJP president and Union Minister of State, Sukanta Majumdar, has issued a message expressing condolences over the deaths of so many persons.

“Today, the Chief Minister is busy with a day-long inauguration programme of Jagannath Dham in Digha. Meanwhile, the death toll from this horrific fire in Kolkata continues to rise. This clearly reveals the insensitivity and failure of the Chief Minister. While the innocent and helpless people are burning and dying in unbearable pain, the Chief Minister is busy exploiting religion for political gain. Year-round appeasement and election-time religious posturing - this, once again, is the clear priority of Mamata Banerjee,” Majumdar said.

--IANS

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