Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary and state cabinet minister Javed Rana on Monday visited the fire-hit Nehru Market warehouse, where shopkeepers and affected people raised concerns about massive losses and demanded adequate compensation and accountability.
Several shops were gutted in the fire on Sunday night at the historic market, one of the oldest commercial hubs of Jammu, known for its wholesale trade in foodgrains and other essential commodities, in the Bikram Chowk area. The fire reportedly originated in one of the shops and spread rapidly to adjoining establishments, with the presence of large quantities of edible oil adding to the intensity of the blaze.
The government representatives assured the affected people that the incident would be investigated, including the alleged delay in the arrival of fire and emergency services, while the losses would be assessed to determine the assistance to be provided to the victims.
The visit also witnessed tense moments as some angry shopkeepers raised slogans, saying they have no expectations from the government as the visits by political representatives are limited to assurances, statements and photographs, without any concrete action on the ground.
They also cited the delay in disbursement of relief for the victims of the Shiv Market fire incident near Jammu railway station on October 25.
The deputy chief minister later interacted with the affected shopkeepers along with Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Rana, and said he would apprise the chief minister of their grievances. Warehouse association president Deepak Gupta was also present during the interaction.
“The losses are enormous and the situation cannot be taken lightly or addressed through mere statements,” Choudhary said.
Gupta alleged that the delayed response of the Fire and Emergency Services Department allowed the blaze to spread, engulfing around 15 shops.
Claiming that only two fire tenders arrived nearly 90 minutes after the fire broke out despite the fire station being barely five minutes away, he termed it gross negligence and demanded accountability, including the suspension of officials concerned.
Responding to the concerns, Rana said, “The government may not be able to compensate people for the entire extent of their losses, but assistance will certainly be provided according to the prescribed criteria. We want people to feel that the government stands with them in this difficult hour.”
The minister also assured that a detailed investigation would be conducted into the circumstances leading to the fire and the alleged delay in the arrival of fire and emergency services.
The minister also said the government had relaxed rules to facilitate construction, repairs and renovation work at Shiv Market, adding that the work was underway following official approval.
A BJP delegation, comprising Jammu Lok Sabha MP Jugal Kishore Sharma, Leader of Opposition in the J&K Assembly Sunil Sharma, MLA Vikram Randhawa and former J&K BJP president Ravinder Raina, also visited the market and demanded adequate compensation for the affected traders.
The leaders also stressed the need for timely assistance to ensure that the affected shopkeepers are not left struggling to recover from the massive losses.
