Sopore: Over 20 shops and a restaurant were Tuesday damaged in two separate mysterious blazes that engulfed in Sopore areas of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.

The fire broke out in the wee hours of Tuesday morning at General Bus Stand Sopore that led to the damage to at least 15 shops and one restaurant.

Similarly, four shops were damaged in a fire incident at Tehsil road while two others were gutted in Noor bagh area.

The shops damaged in the fire incident were belonging to Abdul Rashid Khan, Manzoor Ahmad Khan, Abdul Satar Denthoo, Mansoor Ahmad Sheikh, Mushtaq Ahmad Lara, Ghulam Hassan Ganaie, Khursheed Ahmad Lone, Mohammad Akbar Ganaie, Waseem Ahmad Gazi, Bashir Ahmad Khan, Mohammad Amin Moon, Abdul Hamid Khan, Mohammad Shaffi Bisati, Ghulam Mohiudin Nagoo, Mohammad Ashraf War, Gayas- ud-din Wani, Mushtaq Ahmad Tara, Mohammad Hussain Banday, Khazir Mohammad Lisoo, Ghulam Nabi Chatbali, Ali Mohammad Dar, Mohammad Altaf Tara and Choice Point Restaurant of Liyaqat Khan.

President Traders Federation Sopore, Haji Mohammad Ashraf Ganaie, President Civil Society Sopore Haji Mohammad Akbar Ganaie and local people appealed the district administration for immediate compensation for these fire victim shopkeepers.

Meanwhile, Police registered the cases in this regard while the investigation has been started.

Meanwhile, Traders Federation Sopore led by its president, Haji Mohammad Ashraf Ganai called for a complete shutdown on January 03 (Wednesday) against the administration for ‘failing’ to stop growing theft cases in the town.

In a press conference, Ganai said that more than twenty shops gutted in a fire incident, which burglars looted first and then set it on fire during Monday night, resulting in damage to the property worth lakhs.

He said that the administration has completely failed to save the town from ‘miscreants’ who are not only burning shops but are looting as well.

He appealed the people of Sopore to observe complete shutdown on Wednesday ‘so that administration will wake up from the deep slumber’.

Meanwhile, Ganaie also said that police has failed to trace the missing goldsmith namely Tariq Ahmad Malik who is missing from past eight days.

Malik went ‘suspiciously’ missing from his shop at Chota Bazaar in Sopore on Dec 26.

Later members from Civil Society Sopore visited the affected shopkeepers at General Bus Stand and urged the government to provide immediate compensation to them so that they can restart their lives.

Guest