Fire in Kolkata Metro, services suspended between Dum Dum and Kavi Subhash station

The services of Kolkata Metro have been halted after minor fire broke out at crucial Dum Dum station today. Several passengers have been evacuated after smoke was detected inside the metro train at Dum Dum station. According to news agency ANI, metro services have been closed between Dum Dum and Kavi Subhash station. The incident comes after the horrible accident on December 28 last year. In the last year’s incident, at least 16 passengers were taken ill after dense smoke engulfed an air-conditioned coach of the Kolkata Metro between Rabindra Sadan and Maidan stations. Smoke was seen billowing out of the Dum Dum-bound metro rake following a major fire on the train. The incident took place at about 4:50 pm after the train left the Maidan station this afternoon. However, passengers were evacuated within an hour of the mishap.

The incident had resulted in slow movement of traffic in several roads including AJC Bose Road towards PTS, Amir Ali Avenue towards 7 Point, Maa Flyover towards 7 Point, SN Banerjee Road and ATM Road towards Exide. The Metro services was also suspended temporarily due to the fire incident at Maidan Metro station. In a similar incident in 2014, a train between the Park Streets and Maidan stations got stuck inside a tunnel for long.

Recounting the December 28 horror, the commuters had blamed metro officials for not being prompt enough in rescuing them. Trapped inside the train for over an hour, they did not receive any help from authorities even after calling the helpline repeatedly. Officials of the Kolkata metro, considered the city's lifeline, denied the charge and said the incident was reported at 5 pm and the process to douse the fire began at 5.02 pm.

"It was a horrific and frightening (incident). I was among the lucky ones to have escaped narrowly," Ashok Das, a passenger, had said.

The passengers had seen smoke coming out of an electrical unit of the coach when the train reached near the Maidan station in the heart of the city. Soon, the entire coach was engulfed in smoke and the passengers tried to break the window panes to ensure ventilation.

(With inputs from PTI)