Arunachal : 2 officials suspended for dereliction of duty, Market fire

Itanagar: The Arunachal Pradesh government has suspended two officials for dereliction of duty during a fire incident that destroyed 700 shops in a market near here, an official statement said on Wednesday.

The fire broke out at Naharlagun Daily Market on Tuesday morning, and shopkeepers claimed that they rushed to the adjacent fire station after seeing the fire but no official was there.
He also alleged that the fire brigade personnel reached the spot with fire tenders which did not have adequate water.

According to a statement issued by the Directorate of Fire and Emergency Services, preliminary investigations have revealed that the officer-in-charge and the staff in-charge of night duty at Naharlagun fire station failed to perform their duties effectively.

He said that two fire service officials have been suspended and a fact-finding exercise is underway.
The oldest bazaar in the state is located about 14 km from Itanagar, the capital of Arunachal Pradesh, near the fire station and Naharlagun police station.

No casualties were reported in the fire, which was first noticed around 4am on Tuesday, he said.
Superintendent of Police (Capital) Jimmy Cheram said the exact cause of the fire will be known after the completion of the fire department’s investigation.

The official said that four fire tenders and appropriate personnel from Naharlagun and Itanagar were engaged in the operation.

Firefighters faced difficulties due to non-availability of water filling facilities in Naharlagun, and fire tenders were refilled from the Lucky Iron Factory, about five kilometers from the incident site, according to the statement.
“The state government has approved two borewells for the fire station and work is likely to start soon,” he said.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pema Khandu has assured the shopkeepers that all possible support will be provided by the state government to those affected by the market fire.