Jammu: Minister of State (MoS) in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Dr Jitendra Singh Monday expressed shock at Sunday’s fire incident at the Jammu warehouse area, causing huge loss to the local business community.
Dr Jitendra Singh said on X Monday, “Deeply shocked by the massive fire that broke out in the Warehouse area of Jammu city last night, resulting in enormous loss to the business community and traders.
“It is also disturbing to hear allegations that the fire brigade services were not prompt enough in their response.
“While expressing my sympathies with the affected business community, I appeal to the authorities to take appropriate action and address the situation on priority.”
The fire broke out at the Jammu warehouse area yesterday evening. The Fire and Emergency Services Department rushed fire tenders to the spot to bring the blaze under control and prevent it from spreading to adjoining establishments, although the victims of the blaze have alleged that the response from the fire and emergency services department was delayed.
The incident occurred at the Warehouse Nehru Market, one of Jammu’s oldest and most prominent commercial hubs known for its wholesale trade in food grains, essential commodities and other daily use items.
The market has been serving traders, retailers and consumers since the 1950s, playing a significant role in the city’s commercial and economic activities. The fire reportedly originated in one of the shops at around 9.15 p.m. and quickly spread to adjoining establishments.
Officials of fire services department had said that fire tenders from various fire stations across Jammu city were immediately rushed to the spot.
“Firefighters launched a coordinated operation to douse the flames and prevent the fire from spreading to other adjoining shops and commercial establishments.
“Adequate number of fire personnel were deployed to contain the blaze, as the closely packed shops and warehouses in the busy market posed a major challenge to the firefighting operation”, officials said.
The fire reportedly broke out amid widespread bursting of firecrackers in different parts of the city in connection with Diwali celebrations. However, it was not immediately clear whether the fire was linked to the bursting of crackers or had originated due to some other reason.