Srinagar, June 26: The Valley-based traders’ bodies Tuesday strongly criticized the government and Wakf Board for not having installed the fire safety equipment at the shrine of Dastageer Sahib (RA), here, which gutted in a devastating fire on Monday.
 The traders’ bodies alleged that both the state government and the Wakf Board have failed in their duty to install the vital fire safety equipment at the shrine that could have helped minimize the loss caused by the fire.
 “We are pained by the devastation of the shrine. But this incident has exposed state government and Wakf board. There was no fire fighting system in place at the shrine. Had there been such equipment, surely the damage could have been minimized,” Muhammad Yaseen Khan, Chairman, Kashmir Economic Alliance (KEA) – an amalgam of traders, transporters and hoteliers, said. 
 “Even the fire tenders that rushed the spot had not sufficient water with them,” he said.
 “There is no accountability in the state. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is only busy in finding out the ways to tax people more and more,” Khan who is also the president of Kashmir Traders Manufacturers Federation (KTMF) said.   
 “Kashmir has lost its crown in the shrine to the fire. At the same time this incident has exposed the preparedness of state government and Wakf board,” Tariq Rashid Ghani, Treasurer, Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industries-Kashmir (CCIK)  said.
 He said: “It is very unfortunate that there was neither any fire alarm installed in the shrine nor any fire extinguishers. Even smaller guesthouses have such equipment in place to avert any fire incidence.”
  “Both the Wakf board and the state government owe an answer to the people. Fire and Emergency Services which is a state government agency had no water stored in the fire tenders that were sent to put out the fire at the shrine. This reveals how the emergency services operate here,” he said.
 Ghani said: “The Waqf board despite getting crores of rupees as donations from devotees, has failed to install even smaller fire extinguishers in the shrines all over the Valley.”
 Jammu and Kashmir Hoteliers’ Club has also demanded “thorough investigation by the government to know the reasons that led to incident.”
 “We seek a thorough investigation into the incident so that the people of the Valley are made aware of the real cause of the fire,” Musadiq Shah, General Secretary, J&K Hoteliers’ Club, said.

Lastupdate on : Tue, 26 Jun 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 26 Jun 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 27 Jun 2012 00:00:00 IST