Total damage estimated over Rs 1 crore
JOWAI: At least 90 shops and warehouses in a local market here were gutted after a massive fire broke out around Sunday midnight. The damages have been estimated around Rs 1 crore.
The fire broke out at Plol Market, the biggest market owned by an individual in East Jaintia Hills where majority of the traders were
Nepalese and Bhutanese, around 12.30am on Sunday.
Sources said the shops sold woollen garments, footwear, vegetables and meat.
Five fire tenders had to struggle for more than five hours to douse the flames, which came under control around 6am on Monday. But by then all the shops were destroyed.
The fire also caused damages to some of the nearby residential buildings and the walls of some of them were broken.
Village secretary Jesper Bareh said everything was burnt to ashes and the loss is not less than Rs 1 crore.
Khliehriat Block Development Officer Clement Mawkon, who reached the site of the accident a little after the fire began, said around 90 shops were gutted and most of these shops were taken on lease from the wife of late Plol Siangshai.
“The exact loss will be estimated and so far no FIR has been received either from any individual or from the owners of these shops,” police said.
