By TwoCircles.net Special Correspondent,
Lucknow: Massive fire gutted nearly 125 shops in the premises of shrine of Hazrat Salar Massod Ghazi at Bahraich nearly 200 kms from Lucknow on Monday. The fire tenders reached nearly two hours late while the shops were destroyed.
Local Congress MP Kamal Kishore who arrived at the scene was chased away by the victims. People who had lost their belongings in the incident got agitated and even clashed with police. Heavy police force was deployed to control the situation.
As per primary reports the fire occurred due to short circuit. Hundreds of shops are set up in the shrine complex of Hazrat Salar Masood Ghazi. Around noon fire erupted near Zanjeera Market in a shop at Chaman Tara market. The first fire occurred in the artificial jewelry shops of Ehsanullah and Ahmed. Both the shops were gutted and the petromax kept at the Ehsanullah’s shop blew and hit the wall in Musafir khana. Soon shops owned by Waqil Ahmed, Mohammad Saleem, Neelam Soni, Zahid, Asif, Manzar Altaf, Munna, Sonu, Raees, Basu, Usman, Rashid, Feroz, Bablu, Guddu, Waheed, Sonu, Sampat, Shakeel and Imtiyaz also caught fire.
Dargah Committee people were totally ill equipped to deal with such an emergency situation. They tried to extinguish fire using fire hydrants but in vain. Calls were made to fire office. Shopkeepers had no chance and could only watch the destruction. The fire tenders arrived after nearly two hours. By then around 125 shops were gutted. As many as six petromax which were kept in these shops blew causing panic.
There is an atmosphere like fair in the dargah daily with hundreds of people thronging the shrine. Vice President of the Dargah Committee, Shamshad Ahmed stated that letters were written to district administration for arranging fire tenders in emergency but nothing has been done. There are just four fire hydrants in the campus for meeting the eventuality.
District Magistrate (DM) Bahraich, Kinjal Singh stated that Dargah committee was found lacking on making arrangements for fire. She also stated that a notice will be served to them. For all regular days, the Dargah committee should make proper arrangements while during fair two fire tenders are stationed. She also informed that 10 revenue clerks have been pressed into service to assess the damage done. She stated that CM Akhilesh Yadav is keeping an eye over the developments and the home department had sought report. Proper compensation will be paid to the victims. “If the fire officers are found guilty action will be taken against them also,” she stated. Local Superintendent of Police has been given the task for conducting an enquiry.
Earlier, MP Kalam Kishore Commando too reached the scene but victims chased him away. They also clashed with the local police injuring several policemen and few vehicles. Heavy police force controlled them. “We will also probe whether MP incited them,” Kinjal Singh stated.