Will provide all possible help through schemes to traders hit by fire: C R Paatil

Meanwhile, SMC officials have begun a survey to ascertain the number of shops affected by the fire and the extent of losses suffered.

The first instance of fire was reported on the premises on Tuesday. On Wednesday, fresh blaze erupted in the market and continued till the next afternoon. An hour after the flames were doused, another fire broke out on the premises and was finally brought under control by fire department officials of Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) late on Thursday, around 10pm.

The exact cause of the fire has not been determined yet. The market has a lower basement plus five floors and over 825 shops.

During his visit, Paatil was accompanied by Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi, Minister of State for Forest and Environment Mukesh Patel, BJP MLA of Limbayat Sangita Patil, Surat City BJP president Niranjan Janjmera and others.

After examining the site, Paatil told mediapersons: “All possible help will be provided by the state and Central government. The textile traders have faced a great loss, and it is for the first time that they have formed a relief committee to raise funds… I am hopeful that people will donate funds… The relief funds would not be sufficient and thus, we will look at how we can help the traders through different state and Central government schemes.”

He further said, “The industry is unorganised and many of the traders may not have insurance policies. The scale of losses these traders have incurred is still not known. Traders have not been allowed to go on the upper floors, which have been severely damaged, and it is risky to go there.”

Paatil said, “SMC will prepare a structural stability report of the building, but seeing the poor structure, I think that the entire market would be dismantled, and in its place, a new market will be made, with all rules and regulations. The traders will get new shops. The textile traders are satisfied with the hard work put in by the fire department officials, including top municipal and police officials.”

He further said, “Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are also worried about the traders. The traders hope they will get help from the BJP-ruled state government and the Centre, and for that, we are looking at the possibilities.”

SMC has enlisted the help of Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology (SVNIT) to survey the market’s structural stability.
On Saturday evening, a number of traders who own shops in the lower basement areas were allowed to enter the premises.

Talking to The Indian Express, Surat Deputy Chief Fire Officer Ishwar Patel said, “Out of 130 shops in the lower basement, only seven were gutted while a few others were partially burnt. We have made arrangements in such a way that in the presence of police and fire teams, five traders are taken (at a time) inside the lower basement so that they can collect their important items and textile fabrics which were not affected by the fire.”

He further said, “Till evening, 78 textile traders had collected their important documents, textile fabrics and computer systems from the lower basement while the remaining ones will do so on Sunday. The upper floors have been badly damaged. We still don’t know how many shops are burnt as the structure has become weak, and it is quite risky to go there.”