Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Monday voiced concern over the losses suffered by traders in the massive fire that broke out in the Warehouse Nehru Market here.
Several shops were gutted in the fire at the historic market, one of the oldest commercial hubs of Jammu known for its wholesale trade in foodgrains, edible oil, and essential commodities on Sunday night.
In a post on X, Singh said he was deeply shocked by the incident and expressed concern over the enormous losses suffered by traders and business establishments.
He also expressed concern over allegations that the fire brigade services were not prompt enough in responding to the emergency.
“It is also disturbing to hear allegations that the fire brigade services were not prompt enough in their response”, the Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office said.
Warehouse Association president Deepak Gupta alleged that the delayed response of the Fire and Emergency Services Department allowed the blaze to spread, engulfing around 15 shops.
Claiming that only two fire tenders arrived nearly 90 minutes after the fire broke out despite the fire station being barely five minutes away, he termed it gross negligence and demanded accountability, including the suspension of officials concerned.
However, officials maintained that the fire call was attended to at the earliest possible, with two fire tenders from the nearest station immediately rushed to the spot, while additional fire tenders were mobilised from other stations to support the firefighting operation.
Expressing sympathy with the affected business community, the Union Minister appealed to the authorities to take appropriate action and address the situation on priority.
