A major fire incident in the Warehouse market, one of the oldest commercial hubs of Jammu, known for its wholesale trade in foodgrains and other essential commodities, late Sunday night once again exposed the delicate issue of coordination and division of powers between the office of the Chief Minister and the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir.
About a dozen shops were gutted in the blaze, apparently triggered by a firecracker.
Two weeks ago, a major fire ripped through Shiv Market near Jammu Railway Station, destroying around 35 to 40 shops. The fire victims, despite receiving assurances from all quarters, are still struggling to kickstart their businesses in the absence of any compensation package.
Adding fuel to the fire, the opposition party leaders, including former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, cornered the ruling dispensation over its poor preparedness and long delay in launching firefighting operations to contain the spread of fire.
Meanwhile, businessmen, who suffered huge losses, demanded a thorough inquiry to fix accountability of those who failed to discharge their duties despite receiving timely information.
Warehouse Traders Federation President Deepak 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.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah both expressed deep grief over the fire incident at Warehouse, Jammu. After reviewing the situation last night, the Lieutenant Governor also spoke with the senior officials on Monday and directed them to ensure that immediate and comprehensive relief is provided to those affected by this tragedy.
The Chief Minister also directed the district administration to ensure immediate relief and extend all necessary assistance to the affected persons.
He also instructed the administration to undertake a thorough assessment of the damage and take appropriate measures to address the needs of those affected.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary and cabinet minister Javed Rana also visited the fire-hit Nehru Market warehouse, where shopkeepers and affected people raised concerns about massive losses and demanded adequate compensation and accountability. 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.
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.
Expressing concern over the extensive damage caused by the two major fire incidents, BJP spokesperson Parimoksh Seth said the affected traders had suffered huge financial losses, while many families dependent on these businesses were facing uncertainty.
“The Jammu and Kashmir government should immediately assess the losses and provide adequate financial compensation to the affected traders without further delay”, he told reporters here.
Union Minister of State, Dr Jitendra Singh, also visited the warehouse market and inspected the extent of damage caused by the blaze.
The Minister urged the Jammu and Kashmir Government to explore the possibility of providing compensation to traders who suffered material losses in the fire. He said the matter should be examined by the concerned authorities to assess the scope for extending financial relief to the affected traders, who have suffered losses to their business establishments and merchandise.