Kolkata: Florence Mansion at 15G, Mirza Ghalib Street used to be a residential building with 24-25 flats, many of them occupied by Sindhis. Over the years, as residents sold off their properties amid the commercialisation of the neighbourhood, the new owners made a series of changes and the building metamorphosed into a maze that now housed eight lodges, seven offices, two residential homes and two shops on the ground floor, one of them a restaurant and another a department store.Extensive additions and alterations to the building, encroachment of corridors to maximise the utilisation of space, lack of adequate fire safety systems and alleged violations of safety norms turned the five-storeyed Florence Mansion into a death trap that claimed nine lives in a fire that ravaged the second floor, which housed Shikha Inn, early on Wednesday.“Over the years, as the street became more commercialised, residents had sold their flats and moved to other locations,” said Rahul Makhija, a resident of the neighbourhood.Those properties were further leased to people who operated lodges and guest houses. Shikha Inn was originally one such residential apartment of 2,000 sq ft, which was taken on a monthly rent of Rs 40,000. Its large rooms were divided into nine rooms. Four such rooms became the scene of the tragedy, where nine people choked to death as smoke filled up the space. Manoj Adwani, whose brother owns an office in the building, said Shikha Inn was once a large flat. “The second-floor flat changed hands multiple times before the current owner put up partitions within the flat and converted it into a hotel, which is now leased to a businessman,” he said.While investigators suspect a short circuit near the reception area on the second-floor corridor was the source of the fire, the absence of smoke detectors and fire alarms meant sleeping guests did not even realise till it was too late. Police said the deaths pointed at gross negligence and blatant violations of fire and building safety rules.“Portions of the corridor were encroached upon to create reception areas, further narrowing down the passage. The staircase and entry and exit points are cramped and exposed electrical wires add to the hazard,” an officer said.The other lodges in the building are Hotel Taiba, Hotel Demattrie, Hotel Star City, Adrika Guest House, Kamal Guest House, Hotel Royco and Mariam Guest House. A law firm, Attornatus, and at least six other offices, many dealing in readymade garments, also operate from the building.Residents and traders said the transformation of Florence Mansion took place gradually but gained momentum in recent years with the influx of Bangladeshi visitors, seeking affordable accommodation in the area. The demand fuelled the conversion of old houses and apartments into low-budget, no-frill lodges, with cubicle-size rooms, zero-ventilation and almost no fire safety.Meera Nandwani, a resident of a flat on the first floor for five decades, recounted the transformation: “Several years ago, the building bustled with residents but one by one, people started renting out their homes to commercial spaces. The larger homes gave way to guest houses and some to offices.”People in the area said the pattern extended beyond Florence Mansion to buildings all over Free School Street and Marquis Street, where homes were repurposed into commercial spaces. “Hotel spaces are rented out for anything between Rs 40,000 and Rs 80,000, depending on the size. Many flats are also rented out as spas and massage parlours. Most don’t have basic clearances from the administration,” said a resident.
