Fire in Sodepur Garment Store Expses the Shopping Insecurity with Twelve Deaths
Palash Biswas
In a freak accident, Tweleve people died from carbon monoxide poisoning and asphyxiation after a fire and the deadly gas formed, spread into a readymade garment centre through air conditioning ducts from the floors above in Sodepur, Bengal.
At least 12 persons were killed Friday in a fire at a readymade garment shop at Sodepur in North 24 Pargana district in West Bengal. Quoting official sources, AIR Kolkata correspondent reports that the fire broke out from a gas cylinder used for welding purposes in the shop.
Condition of some of the injured is stated to be critical. The state government has ordered an inquiry into the incident.
Fire and Deaths in a Sodepur Garment Store exposes the insecurity of consumors in neo global market economy of Shining Sensex India. The Garment store is developed on lines of Shopping Mall, which monoplises the garment market along with Srinekatan, already a Big Brand in West Bengal.IN A terrible tragedy, 12 people died from carbon monoxide poisoning and asphyxiation after a fire started on the floor above a readymade garment centre in Sodepur in the outskirts of Kolkata on Friday noon. Though the fire was devastating, no one died of burn injuries. Among the dead, 10 were men and one was a woman. Many more fell ill and had to be hospitalised and are still unconscious. The death toll has been going up by the hour. There was palpable tension outside the hospitals.
A fire at Ready Made Centre selling garments left 12 persons dead and 18 injured at Sodepur in neighbouring North 24-Parganas district, close to the metropolis, today. The deaths were primarily caused by asphyxiation with the exit being blocked as a shutter was pulled down after the fire broke out, police sources said. The toll might rise as some critically injured were battling for life in different hospitals and nursing homes, Additional uperintendent of police Praveen Tripathy said.
Some died at the spot and some in hospitals and nursing homes, the ASP said. Some are fighting with Death in different hospitals and nursing homes. Panihati Hospitol, Balram Hospitol Khardah and Belgaria Midland Nursing Home, nearby Retro nursing Home right in Sodepur market were quite helpless to deal with Fire and Gas Victims. Carbon Mono Oxides takes just a few minutes for the kill!
The blaze, suspected to have originated from welding work on the second floor, spread quickly with smoke building up inside the three-storey building, but firemen, using waterjets, prevented it from spreading further. help of gas cylinders. Sparks from the welding machines started a fire on the carpeted floor. The flames spread and entered the central air conditioning ducts and travelled down to the centre as did the flames. Some of the shutters in the complex were foolishly downed trapping people. The readymade centre was crowded with buyers. There was chaos in the centre and all those inside the closeted area rushed for the exit elbowing each other out. There was absolute panic and a stampede followed. Many collapsed unable to breathe.
The owner of the centre is being blamed for using welding equipment in a carpeted and centrally air conditioned premises. Apparently he was cautioned but paid no heed.
Retail Chain and Shopping Malls happen to be the airconditioned Consumer love affair nowadays. In Sodepur, the to be Shopping Mall overlooked the security element from the word go. The shop was open while the work for escalation was going on in day light. neither police nor administration or Municipality interfered. Gascutters were being used. Casualites weremostly caused by the Carbon Monoxide leakage from the centralised Air condition system which took just minutes. The Lesson: Whenever you visit an airconditioned shopping centre, please know well the escape routes which virtually do not exist.
Only yesterday, while returning from SBI Khardah, I passed by the building under construction. The construction was causing huge sparks and splinters were just threatening life. I had to walk on the middle of Station Road, a most busy way opening from BT Road and ending in Madhyamgram which joins with Kalyani Road. Since they have got the Green Signal from Party and Admionistration, you may not dare to poin out the wrong. I was scared that something might go. May be , someone may be crossed over by busy traffic.
But this morning broke the news and live coverage of the disaster, Happy Go Around Shopping turning into a hunting Ground for Death.
Only good thing turned out to be the quick response from the Fire Brigad and Local People. The fire was contolled with an alrming Death Toll. it could have been bigger, higher as Shriniketan stands by and the garment Market is too dense.
While me and Sabita reached spot, the firemen, police and local residents , businesmen were fighting the Fire. They tried their best to rescue out the employees and the consumers. But eventually deadbodies were coming out with Live coverage. It just inturpted the King Size IPL Cricket carnival Reality Show.
The fire brigade and the police reached the spot and were aided by local people in rescuing those trapped. Even as the centre continued to be engulfed in flames and thick smoke emanated, people were carried out to waiting ambulances. The sick and the dying were shifted to the Panihati state general hospital, the Balaram hospital and several nursing homes in the area.
The centre was totally gutted and was reduced to a twisted and mangled mass of steel frames. Forensic experts were called in to collect samples to probe how the fire started.
Those who revived after having lost consciousness said they found it difficult to breathe soon after the fire started and were trying to get out of the centre.
Till reports came in six people died among those admitted to the Panihati state general hospital while four died in the Balaram hospital. Two persons were removed to SSKM hospital, where one person died. Five people, who died at the Panihati hospital, have been identified.
Wailing Women, kiths and kins had no consolation. No information also. As the whereabouts of Dead and Hurt were not made public. Ambulances were running madly. Traffic Jam on Barasat Road and BT Road was the immediate headache.
Firemen, assisted by the police, broke open the glass panelled second floor selling readymade garments, to rescue those trapped, he said.
The dead were mostly mall employees, Tripathy said, while one was a customer.
The blaze, suspected to have originated from welding work on the floor, spread quickly with smoke building up inside the three-storey building.
Fire-brigade sources said that six of its men also fell ill because of the smoke.
Five tenders brought the fire, which broke out at noon, under control after two hours.
West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi expressed grief at the loss of lives in a devastating fire at a shopping mall at Sodepur today.
Gandhi conveyed his heartfelt sympathy to the next of kin and his concern for the injured, including fire services personnel as also to those who suffered loss of goods, a Raj Bhavan release said.
Sodepur
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Sodepur (Bengali: সোদপুর) is a small town located about 15 km from Kolkata, which is one of the major Indian cities. Sodepur is a part of the Panihati Municipality under Barrackpore sub-division and North 24 Parganas district of the state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority.[1]
The major landmark of modern Sodepur is the shopping complex one of such is Sriniketan, and also the Peerless Nagar Housing Complex, Lokasanskriti Bhawan,Rathindra and Mina Cinema Hall on the BT Road. Perpendicular to this road is the Sodepur Station Road, which is Sodepur's major shopping area. This road is lined with shops selling everything. The Sodepur suburban railway station lies on the right of this road.The Health System of Population of Sodepur based on Private Nursing Homes& Private practitioners which is very costly and one State General Hospital where people from low income group usually go for treatment and the hospital lacks all modern facility including Pathology,Radiology, ICU, ITU & Blood Bank
Contents
[hide]
1 How To Reach
2 Economics of Sodepur
3 History
4 References
5 See also
[edit] How To Reach
From Shaymbazar, one can go straight on the Barrackpore Trunk Road [BT Road] until one reaches Sodepur. Bus Routes are 78B,Sodepur BBD Bag Mini Bus, 78E from Shaymbazar Five point more. If one is coming from the airport, from Madhyamgram Five point More, take the Sodepur Road. If one is coming from the downtown area, you will have to drive past Shyambazar and Chiria More along BT Road. It is easier to reach Sodepur along Railroad. All the suburban trains of Eastern Railways fromo North Section of Sealdah Station go via Sodepur and most of those stop here. It takes about 25 mins to reach Sodepur from Sealdah. Another way is to catch underground railway (Metro Rail) and reach DumDum Station. From there catch a train to Sodepur which will take about 12 mins to reach.
The oldest school at Sodepur is SODEPUR HIGH SCHOOL (H.S.). It was established in 1853. This school is one of the oldest in West Bengal. The other old schools here are Chandrachur Vidyapith (Boys, Girls and Primary) Desbandhu Sikshyatan,Buniadi School. Panihati College which contributed much in education system of the locality. Sodepur's important areas are H.B Town, Amarabati, Purbapalli,Ghola,Bankimpalli, Natagarh in the eastern side of Rail Station while Govt. Housing Estate, Peerless nagar Panihati ,in the Western side of Rail Stat
[edit] Economics of Sodepur
Most of the people of Sodepur are service personal either in Government sector or in semi government sector or in private sectors. There are many shops where some people are employed. Though educational level of sodepur is high about >78% literate at graduate or Secondary level standard the unemployment rate is also high as there are no industries there.
[edit] History
Sodepur in the Barrackpore sub division, is historically famous for the Khadi Prathistan where historic decisions with regard to freedom struggle were taken by Gandhiji and other great leaders like Subhas Chandra Bose. In 1921, Satish Chandra Dasgupta, eminent chemist, resigned from Bengal Chemicals influenced by the Gandhian thought of Swadeshi and set up the Ashram . This ashram near the Sodepur Railway Station has a special place in the history of the Indian independence movement. Gandhi termed this ashram as his second home and stayed at this Ashram at various times 1939, 1945, 1946, 1947 and lived here for five to seven weeks.Sodepur is Mostly occupied by the people those were uprooted from Bangladesh( East Pakistan) and Those came as Refugee in Bangladesh War Majority of the population of sodepur in its eastern side of rail station migrated as refuzees of Bangladesh at present either from division of Bengal in 1947 or during the war of Bangladesh. They were settled either by purchasing lands or having lands from government mostly concentrated at Bankimpalli, Natagarh, Ghola areas as an effort of Mr. Bholanath Bhattacharya of Purbapalli and late Gopal Das. sodepur is the castle of CPM party since long years and continues till this days Sodepur has a new police station of its own though mostly controlled under Khardaha Police station G.N.I.T is the landmark of this place.it is a B.Tech Institute.
[edit] References
^ Base Map of Kolkata Metroploitan area. Kolkata Metroploitan Development Authority. Retrieved on 2007-09-03.
[edit] See also
[show] v • d • eCities and towns in North 24 Parganas district
Bangaon subdivision Bagdaha · Bangaon · Gaighata · Petrapole · Sonatikiri
Barasat Sadar subdivision Amdanga · Ashoknagar Kalyangarh · Bara Bamonia · Barasat · Birati · Deganga · Gobardanga · Guma · Habra · Hridaypur · Madhyamgram · Maslandapur · Nebadhai Duttapukur · Nokpul · Raigachhi · Rajarhat
Barrackpore subdivision (I & II) Baranagar · Barrackpore · Barrackpur Cantonment · Bhatpara · Bijpur · Chandpur · Dakshineswar · Dum Dum · Durganagar · Garshyamnagar · Garulia · Halisahar · Ichapore · Ichhapur Defence Estate · Jafarpur · Jagatdal · Jetia · Kamarhati · Kanchrapara · Kaugachhi · Khardaha · Muragachha · Naihati · New Barrackpur · Noapara · North Barrackpur · North Dumdum · Panihati · Patulia · Ruiya · Sodepur · South Dumdum · Talbandha · Titagarh
Basirhat subdivision Baduria · Basirhat · Dhanyakuria · Hasnabad · Sandeshkhali · Taki
Bidhannagar subdivision Bidhan Nagar
Related topics Bibhutibhushan Wildlife Sanctuary · Chandraketugarh · Sundarbans · Sundarban National Park
Cities and towns in other districts Bankura · Bardhaman · Birbhum · Cooch Behar · Dakshin Dinajpur · Darjeeling · Hooghly · Howrah · Jalpaiguri · Kolkata neighbourhoods · Malda · Murshidabad · Nadia · Paschim Medinipur · Purba Medinipur · Purulia · South 24 Parganas · Uttar Dinajpur
West Bengal Portal
[show] v • d • eNeighbourhoods in Kolkata
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