KOLKATA: One person died in a blaze that gutted at least 30 shanties in Narkeldanga area of the metropolis, a fire brigade official said on Sunday.Seventeen fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the flames, which were first spotted around 10 pm on Saturday, he said.The fire left around 200 people homeless, officials said.The charred body of Habibullah Mollah (65) was recovered from a godown adjacent to the shanties after fire brigade personnel managed to douse the blaze around 3 am, they said.During the day, West Bengal Municipal Affairs Minister and Kolkata Municipal Corporation Mayor Firhad Hakim visited the spot and interacted with locals.He said the families rendered homeless will be provided temporary accommodation nearby, besides financial assistance.The family of the deceased will also be given compensation as per law.Policemen accompanied by fire brigade personnel regulated vehicular traffic movement along the Narkeldanga Main Road as the firefighting operation was underway, the officials said.Meanwhile, after Hakim left, a section of the slum dwellers shouted slogans against local councillor Sachin Singh, accusing him of setting up illegal shops and shanties in the area, endangering public safety.Singh’s followers later scuffled with the protesting crowd before police intervened and brought the situation under control.
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