Excelsior Correspondent
DODA, Feb 10: At least four shops, a residential complex and a car were gutted in a devastating fire at Malik Pura market in tehsil Gandoh.
As per police sources, shops and the residential complex belonging to Mohammad Hanief, son of Ghulam Mohammad Malik, Altaf Hussain, son of Abdul Gani Malik and Abdul Aziz, son of Ghulam Mohammad, all resident of Tilogda Bhalessa were gutted in the fire. An Alto car bearing registration number JK06-9781 of Wasim Akhter parked near the incident site was also damaged in the fire. Two adjoining shops were partially damaged.
Locals and police personnel reached the spot within 30 minutes and started operations to control the fire that was rapidly spreading to other shops and houses, mostly made of dry cedar and pine wood.
The blaze was extinguished after fire tenders reached the spot.
No report of loss of life or injury to anyone has been reported in the incident, while the police have started assessing the losses.
“Police are investigating the incident. It seems a short circuit could have started the fire”, SDPO Gandoh Sunny Gupta said, adding the fire has been doused and the losses are being assessed.
Meanwhile, the residents staged protest against the District Administration over the non-availability of fire brigades for Gandoh. The protesters demanded immediate availability of one fire tender, which would help to save the life and property timely.
Former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad has expressed grief over the fire incident. He expressed sympathy towards the affected families and instructed the Divisional and District Administration to provide immediate help and support to all those affected due to the devastating fire.
Vice President JKPCC and MLA Inderwal, Ghulam Mohammad Saroori, Former MLA Bhaderwah, Mohammad Sharief Niaz, Former MLA Doda, Abdul Majeed Wani, President DCC Doda, MLC, Naresh Kumar Gupta, Senior Congress leader from Doda, Mohammad Aslam Goni and Secretary Publicity Nadeem Sharief have also expressed sorrow over the loss of property in the fire incident. They asked District Development Commis-sioner to carry out relief and rehabilitation measures for the fire incident victims’ vis-à-vis proper and timely compensation.
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