Devastating blaze engulfs Bidhan Market in Siliguri, at least thirty shops feared damaged

Sanchita Aich Bag, MP, 29 Sept 2024, Siliguri: A massive fire broke out at Bidhan Market on Saturday morning at around 10:30 am, causing extensive damage to approximately 30 shops, with 18 gutted completely. 

Traders have estimated losses of around Rs. 30 crore, leaving many in despair just days before the Durga Puja festival. The blaze reportedly started in a stationary shop and quickly spread to adjacent shops, including garment, cosmetic, and electronic stores, as well as mobile shops. 

Eyewitnesses described chaotic scenes as eight fire engines battled the flames for hours. 

One company, BSF, also arrived at the spot to assist in extinguishing the fire. Traders expressed frustration over alleged delays caused by technical problems faced by the fire engines. 

“The first two engines arrived with insufficient water, and one was not operational. This resulted in the fire spreading rapidly. Slowly, more engines arrived at the scene and controlled the fire. But it spread rapidly, damaging almost 30 shops in the market,” said Bapi Saha, the secretary of the Bidhan Market Business Association. 

Fire officials also acknowledged the technical error in one of the fire engines. However, they said that other engines promptly started controlling the fire. After getting the news, Gautam Deb, the Mayor of Siliguri, along with Deputy Mayor Ranjan Sarkar, visited the site to offer support to the traders. Deb said, “Such an incident ahead of Puja is very unfortunate. We will do our utmost to help.” 

Shankar Ghosh, the MLA of Siliguri, also went to the area and helped the businessmen in removing their goods from the shops. The incident spread panic throughout the entire area. Traders also expressed anger. 

“Our condition was already bad owing to fewer people visiting our market. Moreover, this incident took everything from us. We want the government to help these affected traders. The Central government is only thinking about the industrialists; nobody thinks about small businessmen like us,” Saha further added. 

This incident is not the first of its kind as Bidhan Market has previously experienced similar fires, raising concerns about safety. 

Courtesy & source- Millennium Post

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/devastating-blaze-engulfs-bidhan-market-in-siliguri-at-least-thirty-shops-feared-damaged-581363?infinitescroll=1