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Death-trap

Park Street reeks of death now. Complacent Kolkata was jerked out of its reverie with Park Street, our own Park Street, scarred with the death of so many people. Who could ever imagine that a building with lower floor of revelry could turn into a death trap someday? A couple of days after the tragedy a colleague visited the place which is at stones throw from her college, St. Xavier’s. The stretch from Mullick Bazaar to Park Street Metro had been her adda’r jayega. The place is like a collage of memories she would like to cherish always. The Stephen Court incident doesn’t fit there. Ways have changed at Park Street where people were always seen walking. The accident doesn’t let that happen anymore. There is a huge crowd near the Stephen Court looking at the burnt portion of the building. Innumerable eyewitnesses recount their moments of horror when they saw people jumping to death to escape the fire. Every footfall away is a group of 6-7 people taking a break from their usual routine and narrating what happened, how things could have been, what should have been done etc. Those who have their offices in the adjacent buildings are unsure of their own safety. Karnani Mansion, on the other side of the road, trembles at the thought of any such tragedy. The corridors do not even have fire extinguishers. One has to cross collapsible gates (there are two but one remains locked most of the times) to reach the stairs. Cardboard and wood partitions are used in most of the offices and residential flats. Mesh of wires are seen everywhere. But perhaps, we wait for accidents to happen to aid our learning, and the fire department minister is a diligent student. Perhaps, there is a good prospect of ‘disaster tourism’ in Kolkata, if there is any such thing. A visit to Stephen Court a couple of days after the tragedy confirms it. One however wonders, amidst the crowd, where is the swarm of street children selling chewing gum in front of Music World gone…

Soma Basu

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