In a horrific incident, 700 shops were burnt down on Tuesday in a massive fire at the daily market in Naharlagun. This is the oldest market in the Itanagar capital region. The irony is that the fire station is located just opposite the daily market. The failure of the fire service authorities to douse the fire on time raises a serious question mark over their preparedness. Considering the fact that this is Diwali time, they should have remained alert to thwart any kind of tragedy.
Rightly, the department has put them under suspension for failure to react on time.
No amount of justification can justify their utter failure to douse the fire on time.
The state government should extend every possible help to the victims. A new market should be constructed with all the modern facilities like toilets, ATMs etc. All the existing shopkeepers should be given space once the new market is constructed.
Further, this incident should be a wake-up call for the fire service department. They need to learn from it and upgrade themselves wherever it is required.
The lackadaisical attitude of some of the employees of the department needs to change for good.