The Hindu Business Line : Fire destroys cargoes at Kolkata port

Smoke billowing out of the fire-ravaged no. 4 shed of the Netaji Subhas Dock of the Kolkata port on Wednesday. A fire tender is seen trying to put out the blaze. — Sushanta Patronobish

Kolkata , Nov. 17

FIRE has devastated the number four shed of the Netaji Subhas Dock of Kolkata port. Large volumes of cargoes stacked in the shed have been destroyed. Preliminary estimates put the value of the cargo destroyed at Rs 10 crore. No one was hurt.

Dr A.K. Chanda, Chairman of Kolkata Port Trust, told Business Line that the cause of the fire was yet to be known.

He, however, felt that electrical short-circuit could be the probable reason. Mr M.A. Bhaskarachar, Deputy Chairman, would hold the inquiry and submit the report as soon as possible.

"We will step up our fire fighting arrangement if the inquiry report so suggests," Dr Chanda said.

The fire started at around 1.45 a.m. Kolkata Port Trust's own fire fighters, including fire float tugs, were pressed into operation immediately. Subsequently, a number of fire tenders from the West Bengal Fire Service joined to put out the blaze.

Fortunately, the fire could be contained and, therefore, it did not spread to other berths and sheds. There was no ship at the berth adjacent to the shed ravaged by the fire.

The number four shed of the NSD comprised a three-storied building with a total area of 12,500 sq m. Mostly LCL (less than container load) cargoes, comprising assorted goods such as carpets, polythene granules, edible oil, chemicals, garments, electronic items, raw silk and the like, both imports and exports, were stored in the shed. The imported items were those already destuffed from the containers and awaiting evacuation while the exports were still to be stuffed. Only one container, open top and stuffed with tyres, was damaged in the fire.

About 150 packages could be retrieved from wreckage. The liability of the port, according to the Chairman, would be restricted to only those imports that had arrived in past seven days.

The port would accept no liability for the cargo lying in the shed for more than seven days, he said.

Dr Chanda felt that the damaged shed might have to be completely demolished.

In any case, as he pointed out, the port authorities had been planning to dismantle a portion of the shed to facilitate the operation of the mobile harbour cranes being installed there.

The fire had only made the job easier. The installation of the cranes had been held up because of the delay in obtaining necessary clearance from the state commercial tax department, he said.

The fire, as the Chairman pointed out, did not affect the normal cargo handling operation in other berths of the Kolkata Dock System.

There were nine working ships in the dock system on Wednesday — two of them in NSD and six others in Kidderpore dock. Ship movement too had been normal.

Mr Pratim Chattopadhyaya, West Bengal Minister for Fire Services, visited the fire ravaged shed.