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Trinamool, BJP trade barbs over Kolkata fire tragedy
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had visited the site on Monday night and alleged that senior railway officials were not present.
A day after a devastating blaze claimed nine lives at the New Koilaghat building of Eastern Railway at Kolkata's Strand Road area, a political storm has broken out ahead of the West Bengal assembly polls, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) blaming the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government for poor disaster management and the ruling dispensation rubbishing the allegations.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee had visited the site on Monday night and alleged that senior railway officials were not present. "The building belongs to the railways. But I have come to know that no one from the railways reached the spot till now. Our fire department asked for the building map from them in order to enter the premises but there was no cooperation from them," she had said.
Accountability war between fire department, railways
Countering her claims, though, railways minister Piyush Goyal said that "all possible assistance has been provided by the Railways to the state government" over the unfortunate incident. Not only did railway officials, including the general manager, coordinate with the state government at the site but also a 'high-level inquiry' consisting of four principal heads of railway departments have been asked to look into the case, informed Goyal.
Railway officials also countered her charges. "Officers of railways were present there, efforts were being made for whatever was required. Maybe a map wasn't made available immediately but staff members of railways were present to guide about the building,” Eastern Railway's general manager Manoj Joshi said in an interview with news agency ANI. “We will cooperate with the state in any probe they will conduct," Joshi added.
The BJP’s West Bengal co-in-charge Amit Malviya in a tweet said that the state should equip local bodies with fire fighting equipment and put in place appropriate protocols.
"Pishi" is the Bengali word used for paternal aunt and the BJP refers to Banerjee as one as she is the aunt of TMC lawmaker and party heavyweight Abhishek Banerjee.
The state’s fire and emergency services minister Sujit Bose regretted that the BJP is politicising the tragedy for "cheap electoral gains". "From installing hydraulic ladder to largely containing the blaze, our men did everything possible. It is the railways which could not provide us with a map of the interiors of the 12th floor,” he said.
Nine people, including four firefighters, three railway personnel and an assistant sub-inspector of Kolkata Police, died in the blaze.
(With inputs from agencies)
