E-Paper
17 shops gutted in Aminabad
PANIC GRIPPED the Aminabad market area on Thursday morning as a fire broke out gutting property worth about Rs 2 crore in 17 shops of the Swadeshi Market. Primary investigations revealed that the picture tube of a television had caught fire and the watchman on duty had poured water on it that resulted in a short circuit.
PANIC GRIPPED the Aminabad market area on Thursday morning as a fire broke out gutting property worth about Rs 2 crore in 17 shops of the Swadeshi Market. Primary investigations revealed that the picture tube of a television had caught fire and the watchman on duty had poured water on it that resulted in a short circuit.
It took more than 24 fire tenders and 36 fire personnel along with Army jawans to control the fire in an operation that lasted kmore than six-and-a-half hours.
Fire tenders from a private organization, Army and nearby districts, besides all fire stations in Lucknow, were engaged in the ‘battle’ that also left two employees of the Hazratganj Fire Station injured.
It was around 7.45 am when fire broke out in a general merchant shop owned by Ramesh Piplani. The watchman at the Swadeshi Market called up Piplani. Before Piplani informed the control room and the neighbourhood shopkeepers, the fire spread. By the time administration and police officials could arrive, half the market was engulfed in flames. A panic gripped the traders even as some attempted to prevent the fire from spreading.
Ironically, mid-way the fire tenders ran out of water. All the hydrants around Aminabad Market were non-functional and the fire personnel had to go to a water tank near Pratap Market to fetch water. When the fire stations too, ran out of water, the fire-fighters had to take water from underground water tanks at the High Court and State Bank of India premises.
A fireman, Ashraf Ahmed, and Station Officer Abhayman Pandey of Hazratganj Fire Station suffered injuries in the operation. They were admitted to the SPM (Civil) Hospital where their condition was stated to be stable.
A group of traders engaged in a verbal duel with City Magistrate Indra Vikram Singh over slackness by the administration in making Aminabad Market ‘fire safe’.
What ails the market?
VARIOUS AREAS of the Aminabad Market have been hit by fire tragedies 18 times over the last nine years. Property worth several crores of rupees has been gutted in these incidents but neither the administration nor the traders appear concerned. The administration and the traders have held marathon meetings after every such accident and make tall claims about making Aminabad ‘fire safe’. But, the decisions have never been followed up seriously.
After a major fire broke out in Mohan Market on July 2, 2004, the then DM Aradhana Shukla had convened a meeting to chalk out strategies to prevent fires in Aminabad. They had decided to establish a temporary fire station in Aminabad and a fire tender was stationed there for some weeks. But, eventually, the fire tender was removed. Seventeen hydrants in Aminabad have been lying non-functional.
Among 627 hydrants around the city, merely 74 are in working condition. CFO JK Singh says the mesh of electricity wires and irresponsible attitude of the traders towards use of electricity only worsens the situation in Aminabad.
