Kolkata fire: Factory owner held; ₹10 lakh ex-gratia for victims' families

Police arrested the factory owner Gangadhar Das and he will be produced Baruipur court on Wednesday

Police on Tuesday evening arrested the owner of the momo manufacturing unit and godown gutted in a devastating fire in South 24 Parganas district in which eight people were killed, a senior officer said.

The owner, Gangadhar Das, was arrested from the Garia area of Kolkata and will be produced before a Baruipur court on Wednesday, police said, adding that he had been evading arrest since the incident.

The West Bengal government will give an ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh each for the families of those killed in the blaze, said Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim.

The compensation will be handed over once the bodies or body parts are identified, Hakim said, adding that permission would be sought from a court on Wednesday to conduct DNA tests.

"Gangadhar Das has been arrested and will be produced before the court tomorrow. The investigation is continuing, and all angles are being examined," the officer said.

Earlier, an FIR was lodged against Das in connection with the fire that broke out late Sunday night at the factory and warehouse in Anandapur's Nazirabad area.

"The bodies that have been recovered are undergoing forensic examination and have not yet been identified. Missing persons complaints have been lodged. The families of the deceased will be provided Rs 10 lakh each as financial assistance," Hakim said.

The fire has so far claimed at least eight lives, while around 13 people from Purba Medinipur district are still reported missing, police said.

Investigations revealed that Das, a resident of Purba Chhara under Khejuri police station in Purba Medinipur district, had been associated with the decoration business for over four decades. His residence in Khejuri has remained locked since the incident.

Hakim visited the site of the fire and said strict action would be taken against those responsible for the incident.

Fire department officials later admitted that the unit had been operating without mandatory fire safety clearance.

"There was no fire safety clearance issued for this unit," a senior Fire and Emergency Services official said.

Administrative officials have visited the homes of the missing and assured families of all possible assistance.

The Anandapur unit, spread over nearly four bighas of land, reportedly employed 150 to 200 workers and stored large quantities of highly inflammable materials, including plastic flowers, wood, fabric and furniture.

"The presence of large amounts of combustible materials appears to have caused the fire to spread rapidly," a fire department official said.