Dr Jitendra Singh expresses shock and seeks urgent action; Mehbooba Mufti visits affected traders
Jammu, November 9: A massive fire broke out at the Warehouse Nehru Market near Bikram Chowk in Jammu city on Sunday night, damaging more than 15 shops and causing huge losses to the trading community.
The fire reportedly broke out at around 9:15 pm in a shop and rapidly spread to adjoining commercial establishments. According to Reports, the blaze is believed to have originated at an edible oil shop. A firecracker spark is also suspected to have triggered the incident, although the exact cause will be established only after an investigation.
Several fire tenders and emergency teams were pressed into service to control the flames. The presence of edible oil and other combustible goods made firefighting operations particularly challenging. No casualties were reported in the incident.
Dr Jitendra Singh expresses shock and seeks urgent action; Mehbooba Mufti visits affected traders
Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh expressed deep shock over the incident and extended his sympathy to the affected traders. He also expressed concern over allegations of a delayed response by the Fire and Emergency Services and urged the authorities to take immediate action and address the grievances of the business community on priority.
Warehouse Association president Deepak Gupta alleged that fire tenders reached the spot nearly one-and-a-half hours after the incident was reported, allowing the blaze to spread to several adjoining shops. He also claimed that officials initially failed to respond to emergency calls.
BJP MLA Vikram Randhawa also expressed concern over the extensive damage and estimated losses worth crores of rupees. He called for stronger fire-safety arrangements and adequate deployment of fire tenders at major commercial markets.
Meanwhile, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti visited the affected Warehouse Market on Monday and met traders whose shops were damaged in the fire. She interacted with the affected shopkeepers and took stock of the losses suffered by the business community.
The affected traders are now awaiting a proper assessment of the damage and appropriate assistance from the authorities.
Warehouse Nehru Market is one of Jammu’s oldest wholesale commercial centres, dealing in food grains, essential commodities and other daily-use items.
The incident has once again raised concerns over fire safety and emergency response arrangements in Jammu’s commercial areas, particularly after a major fire at Shiv Market near Jammu Railway Station destroyed around 35 to 40 shops just days earlier.
The exact cause of the latest fire remains under investigation.
