West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday said he had ordered the demolition of the Tiljala factory and the disconnection of essential services there, a day after a massive fire at the unit claimed two lives.
According to the CM, the action was taken after a committee probing the incident found the unit was operating illegally, without an approved building plan, and lacked basic fire and electric safety measures.
Speaking to reporters after reviewing the findings of the probe, he said the government has initiated stringent action against the factory owners.
"We formed a team comprising four departments and sought a report. It found the structure was illegal, there was no sanctioned building plan, and basic norms related to fire safety and electricity were not followed. It was completely illegal," Adhikari said.
The chief minister said the factory owner and another person have been arrested in connection with the incident.
Adhikari said the state government has directed power utility CESC Limited to permanently disconnect electricity supply to illegal factories operating without sanctioned building plans.
"We have asked for permanent disconnection and directed CESC to immediately disconnect power supply to illegal factories in Tiljala, Kasba and other areas which do not have approved building plans," he said.
The chief minister said instructions had also been issued to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation to disconnect the water supply to the unit and demolish the illegal structure within a day.
"There will be zero tolerance against illegal activities and corruption," the chief minister asserted.
Two people were killed, and three others suffered burn injuries after a fire broke out at a building in Kolkata's Tiljala area on Tuesday afternoon.
The fire erupted on the first floor of the building, which was used as a leather godown around 1.45 pm, and the flames spread within moments, engulfing the area in thick black smoke.
(With inputs from PTI)