Krishnendu Bandyopadhyay

2 weeks ago | timesofindia.indiatimes.com | Krishnendu Bandyopadhyay |Dwaipayan Ghosh |Zeeshan Jawed

Kolkata: A devastating fire at Rituraj Hotel on Madan Mohan Burman Street, adjoining Mechhua in central Kolkata, revealed how the facility functioned with complete disregard for safety regulations, leading to multiple fatalities and widespread outrage. According to Ranvir Kumar, DG (fire), the sprinklers and firefighting system, though structurally in place, did not operate at all. "The last NOC from the fire department issued to the hotel was in 2022. Ever since, no NOC has been taken.

2 weeks ago | timesofindia.indiatimes.com | Dwaipayan Ghosh |Krishnendu Bandyopadhyay |Zeeshan Jawed

Kolkata: As flames engulfed Rituraj Hotel in the Mechhua wholesale fruit market area, what followed was a gut-wrenching tale of chaos, delayed response and gallant civilian effort. By the time fire engines arrived from the CR Avenue fire station—barely 500 m away—20 minutes later, residents of the area were already deep into rescue efforts. A critical hydraulic skylift, essential for reaching those stranded on upper floors, became a symbol of ill-preparedness.

1 month ago | timesofindia.indiatimes.com | Krishnendu Bandyopadhyay |Subhro Niyogi

Kolkata: Residents living in upscale condominium projects near JW Marriott and Tangra off Bypass are unable to open their windows — in apartments costing over Rs 1.5 crore — to prevent thick acrid smoke from a fire raging in the garbage dump yard in Dhapa, as well as smelting activities in the neighbourhood, from engulfing their homes.