A major fire broke out engulfing several plywood shops in Kolkata's Burrabazar area Monday but no casualty or injury was reported, authorities said.
"The fire started from a plywood godown and subsequently spread. Thirty fire tenders were pressed into service and the blaze is now under control. There has been no casualty or injury," said Kolkata mayor Sovan Chatterjee.
He said the state government will look into rehabilitating those affected by the fire.
"According to preliminary reports, four shops were gutted and a few residential houses were damaged. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has taken cognizance of the matter and once the fire is extinguished, we will discuss rehabilitating and compensating those who have been affected," he added.
BJP leader and former municipal councillor Pradip Ghosh accused the fire service of delay in taking action.
"The fire broke out around 4.30 in the evening and despite repeated calls, the fire engines took almost an hour to reach. Had the fire department reacted promptly, the fire would not have spread," Ghosh alleged.
However, state Fire Services Minister Javed Khan, who was at the site to supervise the fire-fighting operation, denied the charges.
"The result of our action is that the fire is now under control and there is no casualty," he said.
