Celica Group to relocate LPG gas banks at Park St after safety concerns
Times of India | 4 May 2025
12 Kolkata: The Celica Group that manages a cluster of five buildings at the Park Street-Camac Street intersection where multiple restaurants and nightclubs are located, has agreed to relocate the three LPG gas banks to a different location at the 24 Park Street address. Ten restaurants and bars were in operation in three buildings at Celica Park until Wednesday. While the lounge bar at Celica House was shut following a KMC order, some of the others faced difficulty in operations after the Shakespeare Sarani police station seized LPG cylinders from one of the three LPG gas banks on the premises.
The decision followed chief minister Mamata Banerjee's surprise visit to Celica Park on Thursday. Celica Park comprises a cluster of five buildings at the Park Street-Camac Street intersection. The CM flagged concern about multiple LPG cylinders being stored in one place, pointing out that if a fire or explosion occurred, it would endanger many lives. Thereafter, the fire department carried out an inspection on Friday and suggested spots within the premises where the LPG gas bank could be relocated.
Speaking to TOI, Celica Group managing director Sandeep Gupta said that though the three gas banks were approved by the fire department and had gas leakage detectors, suppressants, and alarms installed, they would shift all three gas banks to one of the locations suggested by fire department officers during Friday's inspection as safety was of paramount importance.
"At present, there are three LPG gas banks in Celica Park — two of them in Park Centre and one in Celica House. All of them are situated in the exterior of the building. Since the fire department now feels that the gas banks can be situated in a safer location, we will do the needful at the earliest. A site inspection will be carried out next week and work on relocating the gas banks will begin thereafter," said Gupta.
Restaurants in the facility are not allowed to place LPG cylinders in their kitchens, and the connection is provided from the LPG gas bank on the ground floor.
One restaurant was unable to function on Friday, and three others could offer only a limited menu to guests as they could not cook on live fire in the absence of an LPG connection. The others operated as usual. Only LMNOQ was shut as KMC issued a closure notice because the structure on the terrace had not been regularised.