Kolkata, Aug. 31 -- State Fire and Emergency Services and Kolkata Police jointly conducted a surprise fire-safety audit at the TMC office on 9, Camac Street on Monday, and reportedly detected several lapses in its firefighting system.
The preliminary inspection found an unauthorised temporary structure and deficiencies in fire-safety arrangements. Officials checked emergency exits, internal firefighting equipment, smoke detectors, sprinklers and alarm systems.
Several basement smoke detectors and sprinklers reportedly failed during the inspection, while alarms responded after a delay. Similar glitches were found on some upper floors.
A fire official blamed possible poor maintenance and said a report and notice would follow.
The inspection drew criticism from TMC leaders Kalyan Banerjee and Kunal Ghosh, who alleged that the BJP government was targeting their party. They questioned the timing of the audit, coming days after cases were registered against TMC leaders following clashes on August 27.
Separately, Kolkata Police's Detective Department and its Scientific Wing visited the building to investigate the August 27 scuffle. The team examined the floor where the incident occurred, photographed the area and prepared sketches of the floor plan in the presence of Shakespeare Sarani police officers.
Meanwhile, Abhishek Banerjee reacted to the fire-safety audit at the TMC office, three days after the BJP government allegedly "illegally took down" the party's signboard. Referring to the alleged burning of EVMs, he said: "democracy can burn without an audit but an Opposition party office cannot escape one," accusing the government of selective vigilance.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.