As many as 12 shops and a restaurant were gutted in a massive fire incident in Sopore town of Baramulla district in the wee hours of Tuesday.
The fire engulfed and damaged 12 shops at general bus stand after flames emerged from the poultry shop of Manzoor Ahmad Khan at about 5.30 a.m. A restaurant was also damaged in the blaze and goods worth crores of Rupees were destroyed.
However fire tenders with the help of locals doused the fire, the cause of which is said to be electric shot circuit.
The shops damaged in fire incident belong to Abdul Rashid Khan, Manzoor Ahmad Khan, Abdul Sattar Denthoo, Mansoor Ahmad Sheikh, Mushtaq Ahmad Lara, Gh. Hassan Ganaie, Khursheed Ahmad Lone, Mohammad Akbar Ganaie, Waseem Ahmad Gazi, Bashir Ahmad Khan, Mohammad Amin Moon and Mohammad Altaf Lara. Choice Point Restaurant belongs to Liyaqat Khan.
President traders federation Sopore Mohammad Ashraf Ganaie and local people appealed the district administration for immediate compensation for fire affected shopkeepers.
Members of Civil Society Sopore visited the affected shopkeepers and urged the government to provide immediate compensation to them.
Additional deputy commissioner Baramulla Farooq Ahmed Baba visited Sopore and assured fire affected shopkeepers that compensation will be given to them at the earliest.
The ADC was accompanied by Tehsildar Sopore and other concerned officers of various departments.
On the occasion, the ADC met with several shopkeepers during which they put forward their demands regarding their rehabilitation. The ADC assured proper and timely compensation to the fire victims whose property was damaged in the fire incident.
He also assured the fire victims of inquiring into the cause of the mishap wherein he directed the concerned to submit the report of the same in the shortest possible time.
Earlier, Trade Body Sopore called for shutdown on Wednesday, 3rd January, against ‘administration’s failure to save the town from miscreants who are not only burning shops but looting them as well.’
General secretary PDP, Mohammad Dilawar Mir has expressed his grief and shock over the massive fire incident. Mir has asked the district administration Baramulla to provide ex-gratia relief and adequate compensation to the affected fire victims immediately.