Train service disrupted, shops gutted in Sealdah South section following fire at Santoshpur station

Fire at Kolkata’s Santoshpur Station Disrupts Train Services

A huge fire broke out at Santoshpur railway station in Kolkata on Tuesday morning, causing major chaos on the Eastern Railway’s Sealdah South section. The blaze quickly spread to around a dozen shops near the tracks, halting all local train services on the busy Sealdah-Budge Budge line.

The fire started at about 7:21 AM, right next to the Foot Over Bridge on platform number one. Locals nearby jumped into action first, trying to douse the flames with buckets of water. But the fire grew out of control fast, thanks to the shops and huts made of highly flammable materials. Firefighters soon arrived with four engines and battled the blaze for two hours before putting it out completely.

Train passengers faced big delays—services between Ballygunge and Budge Budge stations stopped for over two hours. Things got back to normal around 9:30 AM, and trains started running again. But the station turned into a mad rush as hundreds of commuters waited impatiently to board.

Early reports point to a gas cylinder in one of the shops as the likely cause of the fire. No one got hurt, which is a huge relief, but the damage was massive. A senior police officer from South 24 Parganas district said, "Most of the 12 shops next to the station burned down completely. The loss is significant, but we’re glad there were no casualties."

Railway officials are cracking down too. A top Eastern Railway officer revealed that the shop where the fire began was an illegal setup. "We’ve already flagged these encroachments," he said. "After this incident, we’ll remove all unauthorized shops and make sure only legal ones stay on the premises."

This fire incident highlights the risks of unregulated shops around busy railway stations like Santoshpur. Eastern Railway has promised stricter checks to prevent future disruptions in Kolkata’s vital local train network.

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