Inferno shows AMC in poor light

The incident evoked memories of a similar fire that had left a portion of Kapad Bazaar charred in last decade. The fire was a disaster for many.

Yesterday, citizens watched helplessly as an Ahmednagar Municipal Council (AMC) fire tender struggled to enter the lane and later the crew fighting a losing battle to control the fire with inadequate gadgets.

The fire began in a paint shop which was gutted around 10.30 p.m. The blaze spread to an adjacent tin shop. The exploding paint containers lit a fire in a fruit stall across the narrow lane. It was already late by the time the first fire tender reached the congested area which could be reached only on foot or a smaller vehicle. Two fire tenders managed to reach the blaze only to fight the fire with inadequate equipment.

The better equipped VRDE fire tender summoned after futile efforts to reach the spot in the first few minutes was also stranded at Adte Bazaar chowk, some 200 meters from the burning shops. The VRDE men were another helpless lot who stood as mute spectators to the leaping flames. Their efforts to reach the spot was unsuccessful.

Meanwhile, the AMC fire brigade crew which managed to reach the gutted shops found it difficult to reverse the empty fire tenders.

Saturday’s incident calls for an immediate revamp of the fire-fighting machinery. It has also put the implementation of a development plan for the city on top priority.

A DP has been prepared by the town planning department which proposes to clear encroachments and widen the roads. The plan currently under debate at the municipal council has been opposed by those in the densely populated Ganj Bazaar and Juna Bazaar area. The fire has exposed the vulnerability of these areas to a disaster where help may be difficult to reach. The inadequate space may act as a catalyst for a renewed debate on implementation of the plan.

Fortunately, the fire broke out during the night, said a resident of the locality. The Ganj Bazaar is congested during the business hours in the day with shoppers thronging the area. Hawkers and encroachments could have made it even more difficult for the fire tenders to reach the spot, he explained.

“The administrators and those opposed to the development plan must learn that a stitch in time saves nine,” he said. “Saturday’s fire could have destroyed half of Ganj Bazaar,” he added.

The municipal council fire brigade has three small-sized fire tenders with no equipment. Of these, only one fits the description of a fire tender. The rest have been reduced to water tankers. The crew lacks effective fire fighting and safety gadgets. The town is growing fast putting at risk the few lakh citizens without any help if a major fire breaks out.