The district administration on Tuesday refuted activist Shehla Rashid’s claim that three houses were gutted in a fire as the Fire Brigade personnel could not reach the spot due to communication restrictions. Rejecting her claim, the administration said that only one house was damaged and compensation was approved for the affected persons. “Problems exist but we are on toes 24×7. The incident took place on August 20. Fire tenders reached the spot at 1:55 am. The operation was completed at 6 am. One house was damaged. Compensation has been approved under the SDRF norms,” the administration. It said that fire fighting operation was led by Joint Director, Fire and Emergency Services, who was personally present on the spot. Earlier on Tuesday, Shehla had claimed that “fire services in Kashmir do not have phone connectivity” which resulted in damage of three houses in Alluchi Bagh area in the city. “The emergency numbers can’t be called from mobile. As a result, 3 houses in Alluchi Bagh, Srinagar, were completely gutted 5 – 6 days ago. Appeal to the DC Srinagar to provide compensation to the families.
