Fire breaks out in plastic recycling unit in Malda

A plastic recycling unit was destroyed in a fire in Malda on Friday. The fire also partially damaged other similar units in the area.

However, there is no news of any casualty so far.

Sources said the fire broke out in the units in Sujapur area under Kaliachak Police Commissionerate in the morning. Residents, when they saw thick smoke coming out of the unit, informed the police and firefighters.

Three locomotives reached that place. The attackers spent three hours extinguishing the llamas.

“The unit that was destroyed by fire. Some neighboring units have also been partially affected”, said resident Mohammad Hamidur Rahman.

Fire personnel said they suspect an electrical short circuit to be the cause of the fire.

“We are investigating,” one of them said.

There are around 100 units of this type of plastic processing on both sides of NH12 in Sujapur. These units recycle plastic waste and make pellets. Then these are sent to plastic factories.

Many say that most of these units neither follow proper documents nor fire safety provisions.

In 2020, it caused an explosion in one of those units that killed five people and injured three others.

District administration officials said they have taken the initiative to reuse these units in a common area.

“It has been decided to set up a common installation center for the plastic units of Sujapur. At CFC, all units will have to follow safety norms”, said Malda district magistrate Nitin Singhania.

He said, the state government has sanctioned Rs 40 lakh for CFC.