A major fire broke out at a slum in Shastri Park here on Friday morning. While hundreds of residents were rendered homeless, there werre no casualties.
The exact cause of the blaze is yet to be ascertained. But some of the affected persons claimed that they saw the burning remains of a cracker-rocket land on a heap of hay, leading to the fire.
According to the fire department, the number of huts gutted is between 35 and 40.
“A call for help was received at 10:19 a.m. from the slum clusters at Shastri Park. Fifteen fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the situation was brought under control in a little over an hour,” said a fire official.
The victims alleged that the government, political leaders, or locals did not come forward with any sort of help even hours after the incident. They also alleged that they did not get food and water. Most of the victims were exploring options for food even as they dug to reconstruct their huts. A pre-constructed rain basera (shelter for homeless) nearby will not be of much help as it can accommodate only about 50 persons.
