A major fire broke out at Siliguri’s Bidhan Market around 10 am today, devastating at least 15 shops and partially damaging eight others. With the Puja season approaching, shop owners have expressed their frustration over the inability to save their valuable goods from the flames.

The fire was finally brought under control after two hours, thanks to the efforts of seven fire engines. However, the situation was particularly challenging for the fire brigade, prompting the Border Security Force to deploy three additional fire engines on the request of Siliguri MLA Sankar Ghosh, who was present at the spot as the fire quickly spread from shop to shop.

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Ratan Ghosh, vice-president of the Bidhan Market Byabasayi Samiti, criticised the fire brigade’s response, claiming that initially only two engines arrived, one of which was delayed due to technical issues and water shortage. “Had the fire brigade acted swiftly when the fire first started, barring a few, most of the shops could have been affected,” said Mr Ghosh.

Mayor Gautam Deb, along with his deputy and local councillor, rushed to the scene to oversee the recovery efforts and assist the affected shop owners.

Preliminary reports suggest that a short circuit may have triggered the fire, though the fire brigade has launched an investigation to determine the exact cause.

Darjeeling MP Raju Bista criticised the West Bengal government for its lack of disaster preparedness, citing recent landslides in the hills, flooding in villages along the Teesta and now the fire at Bidhan Market. “These incidents highlight the government’s failure to respond to disasters in a timely and effective manner,” he stated.

For shop owners like Tapan Mandal and Subhashis Pual, there is uncertainty about whether they will be able to claim fire insurance. Worryingly, many of the traders had no fire insurance due to technical complications. Established in 1962, Bidhan Market now sits on land owned by the Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority (SJDA), and hundreds of shop owners have been pushing for ownership of their stalls.

Bapi Saha, secretary of the market committee, expressed his outrage over the situation, questioning why only 160 stall owners are entitled to claim fire insurance out of more than 1,650 shop owners.

The traders at the market are disheartened, as the fire has severely impacted their businesses just ahead of the festive season.