Silchar: More than 20 shops were gutted after a fire swept through Jaikrishnapur market under Lala police station in Assam‘s Hailakandi district early Saturday, causing property loss worth several lakhs of rupees and leaving many traders devastated.Local residents said the fire broke out in one of the shops around 1 am and rapidly spread to adjoining establishments, engulfing much of the market. Residents rushed to the spot and used a nearby mosque’s public address system to alert people and mobilise help, but the fire intensified rapidly.Residents alleged that the fire brigade reached the market nearly two hours after being informed, by which time 20 to 25 shops were destroyed.
CJP Jantar Mantar Protest Updates
The gutted establishments included ration shops, hardware stores, rod and cement outlets, stationery shops and paan stalls.Personnel from Abdullahpur police outpost and Lala police station reached the spot to assist with rescue efforts and crowd control.Ramchandi-Nimaichandpur Zilla Parishad member Delwar Hussain Borbhuiya, who visited the site, criticised the alleged delay in the arrival of fire tenders. He questioned the fire service’s preparedness, saying that if a market located along a national highway had to wait nearly two hours for emergency response, residents in remote villages would be even more vulnerable. He demanded a thorough inquiry and immediate govt compensation for affected traders.As tension mounted over the alleged delay, senior police officers, including additional SP (Hailakandi) Sekhar Jyoti Roy and Hailakandi Sadar police station officer-in charge Paul Lalhim Chang, reached the spot and brought the situation under control.The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. Locals suspect an electrical short circuit, while police said an investigation is underway to determine the exact cause.
Attachment
Attachment
Attachment
