Bhubaneswar: A major fire broke out at the Bhubaneswar Unit-I Market late last night, raising serious questions about safety at one of Odisha’s busiest trading centres. The blaze gutted more than 40 shops and destroyed goods worth several crores of rupees.

Chief Fire Officer Ramesh Chandra Majhi said that plastic and polythene materials stored in the market played a major role in fuelling the fire, and helped it spread rapidly across shops.

Narrow lanes and the use of polythene sheets

The Unit-I Market has a recent history of multiple fire mishaps, while traders as well as officials point to the same reasons every time. Narrow lanes, congested shop layouts and the widespread use of polythene sheets as covers create a highly vulnerable environment during the outbreak of fire. These factors help flames to spread from one shop to another.

Earlier warnings ignored

A similar fire incident had occurred on October 22, 2025, after which the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) announced strict measures. BMC Mayor Sulochana Das had then assured that traders would not be allowed to use polythene sheets, extend stalls onto roads or block public movement. Plans were also announced to frame a Standard Operating Procedure for major markets and regulate market committees.

However, ground reality remained unchanged. Traders soon returned to old practices, once again covering stalls with polythene.

Call for enforcement

Members of the Unit-I Market Traders’ Association have repeatedly warned that unless lanes are widened and safety rules are strictly enforced, such incidents will continue.

Unit-I Market Traders’ Association president, Kabiraj Swain, had urged the civic body to widen all market lanes to at least 20 feet and strictly enforce the rule of keeping goods inside the shops.

He further alleged that many traders are running businesses that do not match their permitted category, turning eateries into grocery shops without any regulation.