WB govt steps to rehabilitate fire victims of Kalikapur

A day after the devastating fire rendered over a thousand people homeless at Kalikapur on the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass here, people were scrounging among the rubble to salvage whatever they could, as the West Bengal government was taking steps to rehabilitate them.

"Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has instructed us to take immediate steps and the government will do whatever it can and find a permanent solution to the rehabilitation of the homeless," Power minister Manish Gupta, MLA from Jadavpur assembly constituency, said today.

Kolkata Mayor Sovan Chatterjee, who visited the site, said that the Kolkata Municipal Corporation would arrange for rehabilitation of those rendered homeless.

Opposition CPI(M) leader Kanti Ganguly and Congress leader Md Sohrab demanded immediate steps to rehabilitate the victims.

Most of the homeless were sheltered in nearby school buildings, the police said.
More than 100 shanties were reduced to ashes in last night's fire. There was no casualty.

The chief minister had visited the spot shortly after midnight last night and assured the victims of rehabilitation.

Police said that forensic experts would visit the site.