Trial by fire: On fire accidents in West Bengal
West Bengal is facing a recurring crisis of fatal fire accidents in repurposed, aging buildings that lack adequate safety infrastructure. The article criticizes the new BJP government for prioritizing political attacks on the TMC over implementing necessary systemic safety reforms.
Why it matters
It highlights the intersection of rapid urbanization, regulatory failure, and political polarization in India, which continues to endanger the lives of vulnerable populations.
What is it with West Bengal and fires? Since 2025, there have been major fires, in hotels and in godowns, claiming some 65 lives, many of them poor and migrant workers and pilgrims. The State seems to be an egregious case of the generally poor fire safety record of Indian factories, industrial facilities as well as cities and towns built on top of greed, a disregard for laws, corruption, and scant respect for lives and property. The Shikha Inn was housed in a century-old building on Mirza Ghalib Street in Kolkata, which apparently had several hotels — on each of its five floors. It was obviously not built to be a hotel.
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