Dateline Lucknow: Another fire, another settlement reduced to ashes
A massive fire in Lucknow's Faizullahganj destroyed over 60 shanties. No casualties reported; locals suspect foul play linked to illegal activities.
A massive fire broke out in Lucknow’s Faizullahganj on Monday morning, burning more than 60 shanties and items kept in it to ashes. Though there was no loss of life, authorities are yet to identify the cause of the fire.
This comes just days after a similar major fire in the Kaunsi Kheda locality, under the Krishna Nagar Police Station, where a hundred settlements were reduced to ashes, leaving 200–250 people homeless.
According to the fire department, the fire allegedly broke out following an LPG cylinder explosion in Shyam Vihar Colony near Pathak Chauraha. The flames quickly spread to adjacent shanties, turning into a massive blaze, with thick black smoke visible from a distance of up to 10 kilometres.
The fire department, along with residents, reached the spot and managed to bring the fire under control after more than three hours of effort. However, by that time, the entire settlement had already been engulfed by the flames. “The fire destroyed huts of Mohammad Danish, Sabur Ali, Noor Mohammad, Mohammad Rahim Ali, Chand Mohammad, Rafiqul Ali, Rafiq Mian, Lalchand Mian, Phoolchand Ali, Amarchand Ali and about 50 other huts whose all household goods were completely burnt and the walls of the nearby house of Hariram son of late Hira were cracked and the solar panels installed on the roof were damaged,” said fire station officer, BKT, Prashant Kumar.
Foul play behind fire: Locals
“The illegal business of setting up slums on a contract basis is being carried out in the Faizullahganj area, and there are contractors settling Bangladeshis who deal with big landowners for ₹1.5 to 2 lakh annually. After settling them the contractors collect monthly rent from them. Municipal Corporation and local police are also involved in this entire business,” said Mamta Tripathi, a local activist in the area.
Another local said, “The cylinders exploded later when there was a huge fire. Sources say that illegal ammunition business was going on in the slums.”