‘10 firefighters injured, 3 receive higher degree of harm’
DC visits affected families, provides immediate ex-gratia under Red Cross
Srinagar: At least eight houses were gutted in a devastating fire Batamaloo area of Srinagar overnight, officials said on Monday.
In all 24 families were residing in these houses while at least 10 firemen were injured, the officials said. Some firefighters were beaten up also by locals as they demanded them to douse flames in their respective houses.
A Fire and Emergency Department official said that as soon as getting the information late last night, the fire tenders were rushed to Sheikh Hamza Colony Batamaloo. Eight houses were gutted before the firemen brought the flames under control in the congested locality, the official said. “We made best efforts to contain the fire and prevented its spread to other structures as the locality is hugely congested,” the official said.
At most 10 firefighters were injured and three of them received higher degree of harm, the official said. They have been identified as Mohammad Ahsan Malla, Altaf Ahmad Rather and Akshay Sehgal. “Also people beat up a number of firemen as they pleaded and demanded firemen to douse off flames in particular house,” the official added.
Reports said that most of the houses damaged in the blaze were three-storey structures and in all 24 families living in them were affected.
Moreover, on the directions of Deputy Commissioner (DC) Srinagar, Mohammad Aijaz Asad, the officers of District Administration, Srinagar visited Hamza Colony in Batmaloo area to provide immediate ex-gratia relief, assistance to fire victims, whose residential houses were damaged in a massive fire incident.
The officers team expressed sympathy with the affected families on loss of property and provided an immediate ex-gratia relief, assistance in the form of 105 blankets, 63 mattresses, 63 bed sheets and 21 kitchen sets, in addition Rs 1,05,000 were also provided to all 21 affected families each Rs 5000 out of Red Cross as an interim relief.
Similarly, fire also broke out at Abi Nowpora area of the district on Monday in which one house comprising three families also got gutted.
The team of district administration also visited the spot and provided an ex-gratia relief, assistance in the form of 15 blankets, nine mattresses, nine bed sheets and three kitchen sets, besides Rs 15,000 were also provided to all three affected families each Rs 5000 out of Red Cross.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner has also sanctioned Rs 7.26 lakh in favour of the affected fire victims whose houses were damaged in separate fire incidents at Hamza Colony Batmaloo and Abi Nowpora in the district. (With inputs from GNS)
