Fire broke out in wooden water canal of 9 Mega Watts (MW) Mohra power project, south Asia’s oldest project, in border town Uri in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Sunday evening.
According to officials, the canal was empty when the fire occurred there. “The canal has suffered a minor damage,” said a police official.
He said soon after the incident Fire and Emergency tenders were rushed to the spot to douse the fire. “The canal is located in the forest area of Rampur village of Boniyar in the compartment number 60, ” the official said adding, “If the fire and emergency department wouldn’t have reached on time it could have caused the extensive damage to the nearby forests too.”
He said that the cause of the fire is not known yet. “A case has been registered in police station Boniyar and the cause of the fire is being ascertained,” he said.
It is pertinent to mention here that 100-year old hydro-power project is lying defunct for the last 28 years and authorities are yet to make it functional.