UP: Massive blaze at firecracker market in Fatehpur guts 65 shops, crackers worth crores destroyed
Kanpur(PTI): A massive blaze ripped through a temporary firecracker market on the MG College ground in Fatehpur on Sunday, gutting more than 65 shops and destroying dozens of two-wheelers, officials said.
Firecrackers worth several crores of rupees were reduced to ashes, as several people sustained minor burn injuries in the fire, they said.
According to eyewitnesses, the fire broke out around 12.30 pm at one of the cracker stalls, allegedly sparked by a short-circuit. The blaze rapidly spread to the adjoining stalls, all stocked with fireworks, triggering a series of loud explosions.
Panic gripped the market as traders and customers scrambled to get to safety, while a thick cloud of smoke enveloped the sky above.
Fatehpur SP Anoop Kumar Singh said no casualties have been reported so far.
"Our first priority is to bring the fire completely under control. The cause of the blaze is being investigated, and strict action will be taken against those found negligent," the SP said.
Chief Fire Officer (CFO) Jaiveer Singh said the fire engulfed the entire market within 15 to 20 minutes.
"Around 65-70 shops and over two dozen two-wheelers have been completely gutted. Fortunately, no casualties have been reported so far," he said.
Firemen used sand, buckets of water, and extinguishers to contain the blaze, officials said.
Vendors and shopkeepers, however, alleged that fire tenders reached the spot nearly 20 minutes after the blaze broke out, despite the fire station being just 200 metres away.
"The temporary market became operation only half-an-hour earlier. Within 15 minutes, everything was gone. We barely managed to escape with our lives," Satish, a local trader, said.
Another shopkeeper said she invested Rs 8 lakh into her stall; now, all the merchandise has been reduced to nothing.
District Magistrate Ravindra Singh, who rushed to the spot with the SP, said, "An inquiry has been ordered to determine the exact cause of the fire and assess the losses. Strict action will be taken against those found negligent."
Meanwhile, BJP district president Mukhlal Pal termed the incident "unfortunate" and demanded accountability for the alleged delay in response.
Authorities have assured all possible assistance to the affected shopkeepers.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
'Someone must be held accountable': HC converts civil suit on Goa nightclub tragedy into PIL
Panaji (PTI): The Bombay High Court on Monday converted a civil suit against Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub into a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) saying "someone has to be held accountable" for the tragedy in which 25 people were killed.In a stern observation, Goa bench of the High Court of Justices Sarang Kotwal and Ashish Chavan said the local panchayat had "failed to take suo motu cognisance" of the club and had taken "no action despite complaints."
The division bench directed the Goa government to file a detailed reply on the permissions granted to the nightclub.
The High Court, while fixing January 8 as the next date of hearing, pointed out that commercial operations were continuing in the structure despite it having been served a demolition order.
The original petition was filed after the December 6 tragedy by Pradeep Ghadi Amonkar and Sunil Divkar, the owners of the land on which the nightclub was operating.
ALSO READ: Veteran Congress leader Shamanuru Shivashankarappa laid to rest with full state honours
Advocate Rohit Bras de Sa, the lawyer representing the petitioner, was made amicus curiae in the matter and has been asked to file a detailed affidavit in the matter.
In their petition, Amonkar and Divkar highlighted "the alarming pattern of statutory violations that have remained inadequately addressed despite multiple complaints, inspections, show-cause notices, and even a demolition order".
They contended that these violations posed "immediate threats to public safety, ecological integrity, and the rule of law in the state of Goa."
Investigations by multiple agencies into the nightclub fire have revealed various irregularities, including lack of permissions to operate the nightclub.
The Goa police arrested five managers and staff members of the club, while co-owners Gaurav Luthra and Saurabh Luthra have been detained in Thailand after they fled the country.
