Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference on Saturday expressed concern over the increase in the incidents of fire across Srinagar city, saying apparent inadequacy in infrastructure and have narrated a deep and telling concern.
This was, according to the NC spokesperson, stated by the party’s in charge constituencies Habakadal, Shaltaing-B, Lal Chowk Shameema Firdous, Irfan Shah, and Ahsan Pardesi respectively while echoing concern on the increasing incidents of conflagration in Srinagar city.
The recurrence of the fire mishaps, the party functionaries said, was factored by multiple triggers that include the absence of Seamless access for fire-tenders, and the failure of the government to come up with a total rejig of fire-fighting equipment.
They said that with ever-increasing densest clusters of houses and commercial buildings, the fire safety records of Srinagar city are touching new depths. The deadly fires continue to take lives, and destroy properties and merchandise worth crores of rupees, despite the codes and standards whose implementation continues to remain an actual challenge on the ground, they added.
They further said that the existing fire-safety protocols, fire hydrants, fire posts, and fire stations in Srinagar city are very insufficient to meet the ever-increasing demands of the growing populace. The promise of the government to carry out yearly fire safety audits of historical shrines and buildings across the city has also turned out to be a pipe dream.
Expressing discontent over the amount of compensation being given to fire victims, they said that the paltry amount hasn’t been enhanced for years now. The amount of compensation being given to victims’ families is very insufficient to help them tide over their losses.
They hoped that the government will rise to the occasion and attend to the parlous situation, the city dwellers are facing on the daily basis. They also demanded enhancement of the compensation for victim families.
The functionaries also impressed upon the divisional administration to reach out to the fire-affected families in Laxhman Pura (Batamaloo), Gadood Bagh (Habba Kadal), and Shaltaing. The functionaries also spoke to the District Development commissioner Srinagar and asked him to ensure the swift rehabilitation of the affected families on a priority basis.
