from http://indiaserver.com/thehindu
Wednesday, 5 February 1997 Probe Ordered Into Calcutta Fire Book lovers across the country were shocked as the Calcutta Book Fair, one of the world`s biggest, went up in smoke on Monday when a fire raced through it, turning to cinders nearly 95 per cent of an estimated 500 stalls. ``It is sad that books which would have been read by people are now lying gutted,�� said the novelist, Sunil Gangopadhyay, who had rushed to the fair ground on hearing the news. Caused by a burning stove that got overturned in the kitchen of a food stall, the fire claimed one life, injured about 12 persons and destroyed nearly a million books and documents, many of them rare, within 45 minutes. The State Government swiftly decided to reorganise the fair, though on a limited scale, at the same venue by Friday. The cost of the fair would be borne by the Government. The Publishers and Booksellers Guild, however, appeared sceptical over the feasibility of holding such a fair. Evidently, the Government adopted the measures as an angry Opposition forced it into a corner in the Assembly on Monday afternoon and all through Tuesday on the failure of the police and the Fire Brigade in ensuring safety measures at the fair ground. The Publishers Guild, which is stated to be making hefty profits through the fair every year, spends very little on fire fighting equipment and other safety measures.