Itanagar: As many as 47 days have passed since the massive fire incident in Arunachal Pradesh’s Naharlagun daily market.
While the rest of the city and state has moved on, the victims of the ill-fated incident are yet to find solace and have been more or less left to fend for themselves.
Several are still waiting to be compensated for the losses that they had to incur in the incident while some have almost given up hope.
“Our lives have come to halt. I am having a difficult time to even meet the basic needs of my family at present. I am not able to pay my house rent or my son’s school fees and have a loan of Rs 3 lakh (taken at an interest of 5 percent) to pay,” Rajiv Saha, a grocery store owner who lost four godowns in the fire said.
Saha said he hardly manages to earn Rs 100/- to 150/- per day in his makeshift shop at present.
“I got Rs 1000/- as compensation from the Market Welfare Committee. I don’t understand what good will that amount do for me or anyone else?” he said.
The state government had dispersed an immediate financial assistance of Rs 3800/- (per victim) following the incident.
While some of the fire victims like Saha have received Rs 1000/- as compensation, a good number of them have got nothing until now.
Abdul Halid, whose fish shops were dismantled to stop the fire from spreading further, said he is penniless as well as jobless now.
“Abhi toh kya karega, dukan nahi hai tho kaam bhi nahi hai” (I don’t know what shall I do now. My shops are gone and so has my source of income),” Halid said.
Halid is, however, a slight content that the demolition of his shops saved further damages to other establishments and even lives.
He is one of those lucky ones who was paid the full compensation amount of Rs 3800, which of course is nothing compared to what he lost in the inferno.
Tailor Manju Devi, who at present is hopping from one place to other in search of space said she has been waiting for the compensation amount forever.
“Har din mobile ko check karta hai paisa aya ki nahi bolke, par abhi tak nahi aya” (I check my mobile every day for an alert related to the compensation but there’s nothing until now), she said.
Devi ran a tailor shop in the market along with her husband.
Devi lamented that she has not even been able to inquire about it as even travelling to Itanagar seems unfeasible at her present condition.
“Abhi Itanagar aane jaane mein hi Rs 400-500 lag jayega. Itna paisa toh abhi nahin hai. Aaj kal kamai bhi nahi hai uthna” (travelling to and from Itanagar will cost Rs 500-600, I don’t have that much money to spend as my present earning is not even equivalent to that), she said.
Chuku Yalam, a local ornament seller, when asked about the misfortune, was a little optimistic.
“Mera bhi bahut samaan jalne meh tho jala hai lekin yea tho accident tha so kisko kya bolega. Bas humara dukan ko accha se bana dene se theek hai” (Even my belongings have been burnt in the fire. Since it was an accident so no one could be blamed for it. I only wish that our shops are built quickly and properly), Yalam said.
She, however, expressed discontent over the fire department for not being able to douse the blaze in time.
“Humlog fire service ko request kiya ki hum logo ka mala dukan ko bachao bolke. Wo log bola pani nahi hai” (We requested the fire department officials to save our shops but they said their fire water tanks were empty), Yalam lamented.
According to Yalam, local ornaments worth Rs 5-7 lakh were destroyed in the incident.
Another shopkeeper who did not want to be named said he is angrier with the miscreants who stole his belongings in the name of helping him.
“Aag se toh jyada nuksaan nahi hua humara par aadmi se hogaya. Humara madad kar ne aaya hai bolke sab saman utha ke le gaya. Aisa toh nahi karna hai na. Abhi yeh baath hum kisko batayega” (The fire did not cause much damage but the people who came forward saying they would help us did. They stole all our belongings), he said.
Bazar Welfare Committee chairman Kipa Nai when contacted said a temporary market place is being constructed behind the Sunday market area which will take another month to complete.
As the vendors are shifted to the new area, the construction for the daily market will begin, until then the people have to manage on their own, he said.
When asked about the relief fund not being received by all the fire victims, he said some of the account details provided by the shopkeepers were erroneous.
Some had incomplete account numbers while the KYC of a few were not updated which is causing a delay in the disbursement process, Nai said.
He further said that the Bazaar Welfare Committee has demanded the state government for a detailed investigation into the matter. A demand has also been made to provide complete monetary assistance to the victims as per the loss assessment.
Nai also blamed the fire department for the extensive damages and said that the fire could have been doused early had they been prepared.
With regards to investigation into the case, Capital superintendent of police Jimmy Chiram said the inquiry is still on.
“We don’t have any new information at the moment. If anything comes up, we will definitely act upon it,” the SP said.
Over 700 shops were burnt in a massive fire that broke out at Naharlagun daily market near Itanagar on October 25.
No casualties were, however, reported in the incident.
