Jammu, Nov 02 (KNO): Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday visited the fire-ravaged Shiv Market near Jammu Railway Station and interacted with traders whose shops were gutted in a massive blaze last month, leaving them with huge financial losses.
The visit marked Omar Abdullah’s first public engagement in Jammu on the opening day of the annual Durbar Move.
During the visit, the Chief Minister, as per the details collected by the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), took stock of the damage caused by the fire, which destroyed around 40 shops and listened to the grievances of the affected shopkeepers.
He also assessed the difficulties being faced by traders following the incident.
The shopkeepers apprised him of the scale of destruction and the hardships they were facing after losing their businesses, goods and sources of livelihood. They are now seeking financial assistance from the government to recover from the losses, which are estimated to run into crores of rupees.
The blaze broke out late on October 25 and continued for more than five hours. Fire tenders from seven fire stations were pressed into service and the flames were brought under control in the early hours of October 26, followed by cooling operations to prevent reignition. No casualties were reported.
Earlier, Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary had also visited the affected traders and expressed solidarity with them. He assured the shopkeepers that the government was aware of their difficulties and would extend necessary support.
The Deputy Chief Minister had also informed the traders that the district administration had forwarded the relief cases of all affected shopkeepers to the Chief Minister for consideration and approval of appropriate financial assistance—(KNO)