`Colonial Diasporic Architecture and a City
corridors, no fire-fighting equipment and tangled electrical wiring, accommodating almost all space available. Owners hardly maintain the building and lend their shops without valid papers, giving no insurance by subtenants. Ray mentions that the fire services said "The high powered committee has recommended basic fire safety rules for buildings in Burrabazar. It is mandatory to decongest the entrances and unclog the corridors and staircases for easy access. But there has been zero compliance."11 Tamaghna Banerjee wrote in a Telegraph article, called Brick by Brick Stephen Court rises (March 2014) about the safety and security measures adopted for the people residing in the building. This included the addition of better emergency staircases, water tank for fire emergencies, sprinklers, fire alarms, better wiring, restoration of facades and lifts.12
Image 16: Fire incidents at Bara Bazar and Park Street Left Fire at a three storey building in Bara Bazar. Right: Fire at Stephen Court in Park Street. Source :Left- https://www.livemint.com/Politics/NsbHx54eKIAUHYqrY3v8uK/Burrabazar-fire-Firefighterstrying-to-contain-blaze-no-ca.html Right- https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/Stephen-Court-fire-toll-rises-to34/article16625592.ece
Even though most of the buildings built by the Jews and Armenians are graded by the Kolkata Municipal council, there is still a negligence observed in following of the guidelines. This is seen in the form of encroachment, hoardings, billboards, the addition of illegal floors and more, which leads to degradation of the building (Refer Table 6 and 7, Pg 51).
11
Ray, S. (2018, September 17). Many fires on, Burrabazar still hasn't learnt its lessons. Retrieved September 23, 2018, from THE TIMES OF INDIA: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/many-fires-on-burrabazar-still-hasnt-learnt-itslessons/articleshow/65838188.cms 12
Banerjee, T. (2014, March 24). Brick by Brick Stephen Court Rises. Retrieved August 19, 2018, from The Telegraph: https://www.telegraphindia.com/states/west-bengal/brick-by-brick-stephen-courtrises/cid/1289161
Goa College of Architecture
50
Andrea D'Silva
