[Chukhu Indu]
ITANAGAR, 25 Oct: It was 4 am when the shopkeepers, alarmed by the fire in one of the shops nearby, rushed to the Naharlagun fire station and knocked.
Standing clueless and shocked, a woman who owned one of the oldest cloth stores with a tailor shop, expressed anger at the fire service department. “I do not know what to say. Not only my shop, now I don’t have a roof over my head too,” she said, adding that “we have been without food since last night due to puja rituals for Diwali.”
A woman beside her also shared her agony, saying that “we have been here for the past 30 years and above. We always ensure that no single light is kept on inside the shops to avert electric short-circuit. There is no way that diyas could have caused the fire.”
A once colourful and bustling market, with green leafy vegetables, meats and ornaments displayed for sale, the Naharlagun daily market – understood to be one of the busiest markets in the capital – looked pitiable on Tuesday, as if it was suffering from the after-effects of a battle. The once crowded market, where one could see young women bargaining for fashionable dresses that were brought from Dimapur’s (Nagaland) famous Hong Kong market and other major towns of the region, will certainly be missed by regular buyers.
A prominent store in the vicinity of the market, Chandni Store, established in 1974 or ’75, was also not spared by the flames.
It may take time for the more than 700 families to recover from the trauma.
A person who used to run a restaurant and a grocery shop near the fish market area (the last point of the market) said, “I don’t know what to do. All my income and investment have vanished in the fire. I know nothing apart from running a shop and getting into the business.”
A shopkeeper from Rajasthan, who owned a blanket shop, said, “New items for the winter had been brought, along with blankets, investing a hefty amount. I cannot even imagine that it happened as if within a split second. Accusing the fire department of gross negligence, he said he was surprised that the fire department, “which is less than half-a-minute away, could not save the market.”
“One day we will be going to our own native places. We are not even staying here permanently; but now everything has been taken away. We are practically on the road,” the shopkeeper said.
Many women vendors used to make a living selling vegetables at the daily market. They said that they would sell “outside the closed shutters,” as “not selling them will give us another loss.”
As a mark of solidarity, all the shops in the highway area were shut on Tuesday.
Minu Pubyang, who was in the market to buy puja items, was devastated to see the scene, with smoke engulfing the nook and corner of the market. She had to return sadly.
A few of the shopkeepers from outside the state have gone to their native places. It is also learnt that many women collapsed upon seeing the inferno devouring the daily market.
Local MLA Techi Kaso informed that he is making continuous efforts to make provisions for compensation and immediate relief for the families. “A proper assessment of the damages will be made and payment will be directly transferred through online mode. We will be taking all the necessary details,” he said.
