Anandapur Fire Sparks Big Questions
Feb 02, 2026 - By Ashutosh Roy Current AffairsPolitics
Key Highlights
- Anandapur Fire killed at least 21 people, with many others missing, exposing a major safety failure.
- Several victims from the Anandapur Fire required DNA tests for identification due to severe damage.
- The fire site stands on agricultural and wetland-linked land, where warehouses are legally prohibited.
- East Kolkata Wetlands, tied to the Anandapur area, act as Kolkata’s natural flood protection system.
- Illegal land filling and godown construction have continued for years despite court warnings.
- After the Anandapur Fire, political leaders arrived late, triggering blame games instead of accountability.
- Police arrested local managers, but questions remain about higher-level responsibility.
- Repeated court cases failed to stop wetland destruction due to weak enforcement and delays.
- Environmental damage and governance lapses make future disasters like the Anandapur Fire likely.
- Ultimately, ordinary families suffer permanent loss, while politics moves on and questions remain unanswered.
Anandapur Fire: Shocking Truth
Anandapur Fire has shaken Kolkata.
The tragedy is massive. At least 21 people have already died, and around 28 are still missing. Authorities are identifying several bodies through DNA tests, showing how severe the Anandapur Fire really is.
Meanwhile, political leaders started visiting the site, but only hours after the accident. As a result, political blame games began immediately. Many are now busy using the Anandapur Fire for political mileage instead of focusing on accountability and relief.
Why should the political leaders miss such an opportunity before 2026 assembly election? So, it has erupted political slugfest.
In the latest development, Kolkata Police arrested Wow! Momo manager Raja Chakraborty and deputy manager Manoranjan Sheet last Friday.
Following this, Suvendu Adhikari demanded arrests by displaying photos of the Chief Minister’s Spain trip with the Wow! Momo owner, linking it to the Anandapur Fire case.
Anandapur Fire and Political Blame Game
On the other hand, Minister Firhad Hakim shifted the blame to alleged land-filling decisions taken during the Left regime. Naturally, this has further heated up the political atmosphere.
With elections approaching, this political heat will continue for a few more days. Therefore, blame-shifting will not stop anytime soon. Evening TV debates will dominate prime time. Political representatives will defend their parties.
We have noticed such blame game in various occasions and certainly it will increase dramatically as the Bengal Election 2026 has been knocking at the door.
Environmental experts will present data to prove how often they raised warnings. Analysts will sharply criticize the government.
However, after a few days, everything will fall silent again.
Soon, another crime story will take over headlines. And we will forget the Anandapur Fire.
But one truth will remain unchanged.
The families who lost their loved ones in the Anandapur Fire will live forever with an irreparable wound, even long after politics moves on.
The tragic death of Abhaya has gone to the backseat but her parents are still crying for justice.
Are Wetlands Paying the Price?
First, the land linked to the Anandapur Fire is located in Karimpur Mouza. Official state records classify this land as “Shali” (agricultural land). This means the law allows only farming here. Building warehouses, godowns, or commercial structures is illegal on this land.
Next, based on geography and urban development patterns, parts of Anandapur are low-lying areas. Historically, this zone formed a part of the East Kolkata Wetlands.
These wetlands are often called the “kidneys of Kolkata.”
Importantly, the East Kolkata Wetlands do more than store water during floods. They protect the city from major flooding during heavy rainfall. While the city spends huge money on artificial water treatment, this natural ecosystem cleans stormwater on its own through soil and aquatic plants.
Meanwhile, several cases related to land filling in the wetlands have reached the Calcutta High Court. The court has repeatedly asked the state government to take action and demolish the illegal construction. However, in reality, court orders are rarely followed strictly in the state.
Whenever an order feels inconvenient, the government approaches the Supreme Court, engaging senior lawyers. As a result, public money—your tax and mine, gets wasted. Delaying action becomes the real objective.
Notably, in 2002, the East Kolkata Wetlands received Ramsar Site status. This brought international environmental restrictions. Yet, political greed continues to override both national and global laws.
Why the big hands of law remain silent?
Ultimately, powerful interests fill up these wetlands illegally. They construct large complexes and godowns, ignoring ecological damage. The Anandapur Fire is not an isolated accident, it is a consequence of systematic environmental and legal violations.
In conclusion, unless land laws and wetland protections are enforced strictly, tragedies like the Anandapur Fire will keep repeating, while nature and ordinary citizens continue to pay the price.
The wetlands are also a major source of urban employment.
Importantly, the wetlands connected to the Anandapur Fire zone support livelihoods for a large number of rural people. Many families depend on this ecosystem directly and indirectly for their daily income.
Primarily, people here engage in fish farming, along with limited vegetable cultivation. These activities sustain both the local economy and the city’s food supply.
However, with the backing of those in power, some political leaders forcibly evict these workers. They use threats and muscle power to drive people out.
Why are wetlands being filled in for promoters?
The reason is simple, these communities do not fill political pockets. Promoters do.
As a result, real estate promoters receive protection, while wetland workers lose their land and livelihood. This illegal land-filling and promotion business is not new. It has continued for many years.
Consequently, Kolkata’s wetlands have steadily shrunk. A simple look at old and new maps clearly proves this decline.
Yet, when lawmakers themselves choose to break the law, rules lose all meaning.
Therefore, we are slowly moving toward a day when Kolkata may no longer remain livable. The damage is gradual but irreversible.
In today’s fast-food economy, society rarely cares about long-term environmental loss. Instead, short-term profit looks more attractive. That mindset fuels disasters like the Anandapur Fire.
In the end, ignoring wetlands for quick gains puts the entire city at risk. The cost of today’s profit will be tomorrow’s catastrophe.
Questions Regarding political slugfest
After the Anandapur Fire, serious questions demand answers.
If a warehouse fire leads to the arrest of a company owner, then logic demands something more. Shouldn’t ministers also face arrest for repeated failures that allow such disasters to happen?
Moreover, will Suvendu Adhikari, as the Leader of the Opposition, demand the arrest of the Police Minister for continuous policing failures linked to incidents like the Anandapur Fire?
At the same time, the message being sent raises concern. Will this create fear among industrialists about BJP politics on the eve of 2026 election?
Today, only a handful of Bengali-owned companies remain, and the momo brand involved is one of them. Driving away local entrepreneurs will not help Bengal’s economy.
Anandapur Fire and Wetland Destruction
Therefore, a larger legal question emerges.
- Will the courts go deeper into the Anandapur Fire case and issue strict directions that force the state government to act?
- Beyond the courts, responsibility also lies with society. Will the people of Kolkata take to the streets to protect their future safety?
- Will Bengal’s intellectuals wake up from their long silence?
- Equally important, will environmentalists approach the Supreme Court if needed to save the wetlands?
- And finally, will opposition parties launch mass movements that shake Kolkata’s air and streets to protect the wetlands linked to disasters like the Anandapur Fire?
In conclusion, the Anandapur Fire is no longer just about a warehouse blaze. It is a test of political accountability, legal courage, civic action, and environmental responsibility.
Could This Happen Again?
The real question is not what happened, but who will act and who will stay silent.
Sadly, this is the fate of Bengal.
Unfortunately, in Bengal, and for people like us who live in West Bengal, many of these questions will remain unanswered. No authority will respond clearly. No one will accept real responsibility for tragedies like the Anandapur Fire.
As a result, we will continue to push our future generations into deeper uncertainty. Safety, environment, and accountability will remain secondary to politics and profit.
In the end, this silence becomes our destiny.
Unless we choose to question, resist, and act, disasters like the Anandapur Fire will repeat. And our children inherit a more fragile and unsafe Bengal.