Kolkata: On Monday afternoon, a forensic team visited Ezra Street and collected samples from the markets that were gutted on Saturday. They examined electrical cables, charred wooden panels, and debris of gutted commercial materials to identify the cause of the fire.
According to officials, traders will only be allowed once clearance is issued based on the forensic assessment.
Cops have cordoned off the entire area and placed barriers. Gates of markets have been shut. "Once we get a go-ahead from the forensic experts, only then will we allow traders to access their shops. The place is completely gutted, and forensic experts might need more samples," said a cop on duty. This left hundreds of shop-owners waiting anxiously outside the barricades throughout the day.
Traders started arriving as early as 8 am, hoping they would be allowed access on Monday.
Many carried identity and ownership documents of their shops. "I have been standing here since 9 am, just hoping they allow us inside so we can see what is left," said Pavan Sisodia, who ran a wholesale shop of electrical fittings in one of the affected buildings. Traders have started arranging for labourers to clean the debris. "Thousands of families depend on business here, and we must start rebuilding immediately," said Sheikh Ansari, a trader in 26 Ezra Street, where the fire started.
Despite the scale of Saturday's devastation—when fire engines struggled to enter because goods vehicles and makeshift structures choked the narrow approach roads—violations persisted barely 100 metres from the fire site on Monday, traders claimed. Goods vehicles were parked illegally along Ezra Street, blocking the carriageway. Just beyond the police barricades, another row of vehicles restricted passage.
Similar violations were visible across adjoining markets, including the Tiretta Bazar, Pollock Street and Armenian Street.