20120413 India Another fire at Chikhli slums guts 50 shanties
India Apr 13 2012 “Houses”
Dead : dead 0 or unknown Burnout : 30 to 69 Injured : injured 0 or unknown
Another fire at Chikhli slums guts 50 shanties
Updated: 2012-04-13-04:14
NAGPUR: The residents of Chikhli in Kalamna had not yet cleared the ashes of 40 shanties gutted in a fire on Monday, when another major fire spread through the same slums and gutted over 50 shanties on Thursday afternoon. No casualties were reported, but again more than a hundred people were left homeless.
Residents claimed that fire tenders reached the spot an hour late, so the fire spread to a huge area. A standard IV student, Purnima Choudhary, first noticed the fire had engulfed the house of Shakun Mahanandia. However, before residents could try to douse the fire, it had spread.
The fire ended up gutting more than 50 shanties. Residents, mostly labourers and daily wagers, tried to save some important and necessary things from the shanties before they were consumed by the flames. They claimed that had the fire tenders reached on time, they could have saved their houses.
After the fire on Monday, residents had nabbed and thrashed two youths, accusing them of setting the fire. However, Kalamna police had rescued the youths and let them go after assuring the residents that they will investigate the case.
Thursday’s incident enraged residents further, and they blamed the cops and their negligence for the fire. They claimed that since Monday none of them had been provided food or water as relief. The residents had even demanded deployment of some cops for a few days to avert such a repeat of the fire but no help was provided.
People have now demanded a thorough investigation by senior police officers into both fires.
Web Source: THE TIMES OF INDIA