Market blaze: From those with little left, fire takes away everything
Up to 100 shops gutted, losses estimated between Rs25 and 60 million.
ISLAMABAD:
Sibghatullah was sitting on a pile of rubble, holding his head. His grey beard had tangles from the tears strewing down his eyes. He had fled Bajaur Agency a few years back to protect his family from the rain of fire from the skies. Unfortunately, on Friday, fire on the ground cost him his livelihood.
Up to 100 shops in Faizabad market, mostly run by poor migrants from the troubled border areas, turned into ash due to a short circuit in the wee hours of Friday morning. Losses were estimated in the tens of millions of rupees.
Many of the shops were run by migrants like Sibghatullah, who said “We migrated from Bajaur due to terrorism and set up our business here. This is how I put food on the table for my children. Today, it is all gone.”
According to Rescue 1122 officials, the fire erupted in a juice shop at 2:16am due to a short circuit and quickly engulfed the whole market. The four-hour operation to put out the fire saw seven fire trucks and 10 water tankers from the twin cities take part.
An official said that 92 shops and merchandise worth Rs60 million were saved due to the rapid response. He estimated the losses at Rs25 million, however, shopkeepers claimed they were around Rs60 million.
Shopkeeper Abdul Wahab told The Express Tribune that the market was mostly cloth shops and a few shoe stores.
“Member Provincial Assembly from Rawalpindi Raja Hanif, Federal Minister Engineer Shaukatullah from Bajaur and former MNA from Bajaur Haroonur Rasheed, along with city administration officials from the twin cities visited here today,” said Wahab, adding, “they all assured their full cooperation in getting some compensation from the federal government to help us re-establish our businesses”.
Wahab said that the Rawalpindi administration had assured them in the morning that debris from the burnt shops would be cleared quickly, but it was unfortunate that till late in the evening, nobody had come to do so. By then, the shopkeepers had started clearing the rubble themselves, he added.
A cobbler, Shakir Khan said, “Every shop had more than two partners who were jointly doing business and stocked goods worth millions of rupees…we were like a big family,” adding that “many of our brothers are badly traumatised because of their losses and are in hospital.”
“We will not forget anyone and have decided to help each other financially to re-establish businesses without waiting for government support,” said Shakir, adding that the business community from other markets of the twin cities has also offered their financial and physical support.
Rawalpindi Commissioner Zahid Saeed could not be contacted despite several attempts. It could not be ascertained whether the shops had been built legally and if the administration had any plans to help the poor immigrants financially.
Lacking an official notification of support, victims like Sibghatullah can only mourn their losses. “We cannot return home, and now, even here, we have a dark future.”
Published in The Express Tribune, April 14th, 2012.
Sibghatullah was sitting on a pile of rubble, holding his head. His grey beard had tangles from the tears strewing down his eyes. He had fled Bajaur Agency a few years back to protect his family from the rain of fire from the skies. Unfortunately, on Friday, fire on the ground cost him his livelihood.
Up to 100 shops in Faizabad market, mostly run by poor migrants from the troubled border areas, turned into ash due to a short circuit in the wee hours of Friday morning. Losses were estimated in the tens of millions of rupees.
Many of the shops were run by migrants like Sibghatullah, who said “We migrated from Bajaur due to terrorism and set up our business here. This is how I put food on the table for my children. Today, it is all gone.”
According to Rescue 1122 officials, the fire erupted in a juice shop at 2:16am due to a short circuit and quickly engulfed the whole market. The four-hour operation to put out the fire saw seven fire trucks and 10 water tankers from the twin cities take part.
An official said that 92 shops and merchandise worth Rs60 million were saved due to the rapid response. He estimated the losses at Rs25 million, however, shopkeepers claimed they were around Rs60 million.
Shopkeeper Abdul Wahab told The Express Tribune that the market was mostly cloth shops and a few shoe stores.
“Member Provincial Assembly from Rawalpindi Raja Hanif, Federal Minister Engineer Shaukatullah from Bajaur and former MNA from Bajaur Haroonur Rasheed, along with city administration officials from the twin cities visited here today,” said Wahab, adding, “they all assured their full cooperation in getting some compensation from the federal government to help us re-establish our businesses”.
Wahab said that the Rawalpindi administration had assured them in the morning that debris from the burnt shops would be cleared quickly, but it was unfortunate that till late in the evening, nobody had come to do so. By then, the shopkeepers had started clearing the rubble themselves, he added.
A cobbler, Shakir Khan said, “Every shop had more than two partners who were jointly doing business and stocked goods worth millions of rupees…we were like a big family,” adding that “many of our brothers are badly traumatised because of their losses and are in hospital.”
“We will not forget anyone and have decided to help each other financially to re-establish businesses without waiting for government support,” said Shakir, adding that the business community from other markets of the twin cities has also offered their financial and physical support.
Rawalpindi Commissioner Zahid Saeed could not be contacted despite several attempts. It could not be ascertained whether the shops had been built legally and if the administration had any plans to help the poor immigrants financially.
Lacking an official notification of support, victims like Sibghatullah can only mourn their losses. “We cannot return home, and now, even here, we have a dark future.”
Published in The Express Tribune, April 14th, 2012.