In the aftermath of a devastating fire that reduced 20 shops and five residential houses to ashes in the main market of Sumbal in North Kashmir’s Bandipora district, senior PDP leader and former MLC Yasir Reshi on Monday announced immediate relief of Rs 50,000 each to the affected families and shopkeepers.
The fire, which broke out late Saturday night, caused extensive damage to commercial and residential structures, leaving several families homeless and local traders in deep distress. Many of the shopkeepers reportedly had no insurance coverage, further compounding their losses.
Addressing the media during his visit to the site, Yasir Reshi said the financial aid will be distributed among all the affected families and uninsured shopkeepers to provide some immediate relief in the wake of the tragedy.
“I stand with the victims in this hour of crisis. While this private aid may offer a small respite, the government must come forward with substantial compensation and rehabilitation measures,” Reshi said.
He also sharply criticize the local administration and the sitting and previous National Conference legislators, accusing them of neglect and failure to strengthen vital infrastructure, particularly the fire services in the area.
“The people of this constituency have been repeatedly exploited. Despite frequent fire incidents, the fire station at Sumbal has been left under-equipped. There used to be three fire tenders available at the station, but now only one remains operational,” Reshi alleged.
He appealed to the Jammu and Kashmir government to immediately upgrade the Sumbal fire station with adequate manpower and modern equipment to ensure timely response during emergencies.
Locals also voiced frustration, saying the delay in firefighting efforts worsened the damage. “Had there been more fire tenders available, some of the shops and homes could have been saved,” said a local shopkeeper, now standing in the ruins of his livelihood.
Yasir Reshi further urged the administration to carry out a detailed damage assessment and provide full compensation to those who lost their homes and businesses.
