Over 700 shops were burnt after a massive fire broke out at Naharlagun Daily Market near Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh at 4 am on Tuesday, reported ANI. No casualties have been reported so far.
The fire could have started because of firecrackers or lamps, said the police, reported PTI.
The shopkeepers alleged that they went to the fire station next to the market but no official was present at the site, reported PTI. The fire engines did not have water when they first came to the market.
When the firefighters reached by 5 am, most of the market was gutted, the shopkeepers claimed.
“The police also did not act,” Naharlagun Bazar Welfare Committee President Kipa Nai told PTI. “All of them should be terminated from service for failure to perform their duties.”
Arunachal Chamber of Commerce and Industries president Tarh Nachung has demanded that all fire station personnel on duty be suspended for negligence.
Naharlagun Daily Market is the oldest market of the state where most of the shops are made of bamboo and timber.
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