Arunachal Pradesh: Two officials suspended for dereliction of duty during fire

Itanagar: According to a statement released on Wednesday, the Arunachal Pradesh government has suspended two officials for alleged negligence during a fire that destroyed 700 shops in a market nearby. On Tuesday morning, a fire broke out at the Naharlagun daily market. According to the shopkeepers, they rushed to the nearby fire station as soon as they noticed the fire, but no one was there to put it out. Additionally, they claimed that the firefighters did not have enough water in their fire tenders when they arrived at the scene. A preliminary inquiry revealed that the officer in charge and the staffer in charge of the night duty of the Naharlagun fire station failed to discharge their duties effectively, according to a statement issued by the directorate of fire and emergency services. The suspension order for the two fire services personnel was issued and a fact-finding exercise is underway, it said. The market, the oldest in the state, is situated near the fire station and Naharlagun police station, around 14 km from Arunachal Pradesh’s capital Itanagar. There was no casualty in the fire that was first spotted around 4 am on Tuesday, they said. Superintendent of Police (Capital) Jimmy Chiram said the exact cause of the fire would be ascertained after the completion of an investigation by the fire department. The official said that four fire tenders from Naharlagun and Itanagar and adequate personnel were engaged in the operation. Firefighters faced difficulties due to the lack of water-filling facilities at Naharlagun. The fire tenders were refilled from the Lekhi Iron factory, situated around five kilometres from the incident site, according to the statement. “The state government has approved two borewells for the fire station and work is likely to start soon,” it said. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pema Khandu has assured shopkeepers that all possible support from the state government would be extended to those who suffered losses due to the fire at the market. Read all the **_Latest News_** _, _ **_Trending News_** _, _ **_Cricket News_** _, _ **_Bollywood News_** _, _ **_India News_** and **_Entertainment News_** here. Follow us on Facebook_, _ Twitter and Instagram_._