On Monday, residents of the Gokarnee area under Magrahat police jurisdiction in South 24 Parganas noticed black smoke emerging from an abandoned multi-purpose cold storage facility. The locals immediately informed the Magrahat police station. Police personnel and two fire engines reached the site to extinguish the fire.
Firefighters faced difficulty identifying the exact source of the fire inside the facility, which has been unused for over ten years. According to local sources, the cold storage was constructed in 2011 under the direction of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, with the aim of benefiting farmers in the area.
The state government secured a loan from Punjab National Bank to fund the construction of this facility. Due to the non-repayment of the loan, Punjab National Bank took possession of the cold storage in 2012. Since its seizure by the bank, the cold storage has remained closed and unused for several years. The cause of the fire that occurred on Monday is currently under investigation by authorities.