NAHAN JUNE 2: Residents of Bherewala village under Paonta Sub Division today blocked Dehradun- Chandigarh National Highway for one and half hour in protest against delay in the arrival of fire tenders and administrative officers in their village where four houses were gutted and three Buffalos and two Oxen perished in the fire.
According to villagers, the fire broke out in a Katcha house after sparking in the high tension electric line crossing over the house. Immediately, adjoing house and two enclosures of cattles caught fire. Due to heavy winds the fire flames went out of control within few minutes and villagers were unable to even save their cattles. Before any help could reach inside the cow shed three Buffalos and two Oxen died due to suffocation and burn injuries.
Villagers said that despite several telephones they did not get any help from the fire brigade and administration in time to save their properties and cattle, ‘they arrived on the scene when every thing was finished’ commented one villager over telephone. They said that villagers had informed several times to the HPSEB officers to remove the electric wires crossing over their houses and posing a threat to their lives and property but no body bothered.
Agitated villagers sat on the National Highway and shouted slogans against the authorities. They lifted their blocked after Paonta SDM Amita Mahajan and Dy S.P. Shubhra Tiwari visited the village and assured villagers to remove the electric wires and give compensation to the affected families. SDM told reporters that immediate relief was being disbursed to the affected families and a survey of loss caused by the fire had been ordered.
Working as district correspondent with The Tribune & Danik Tribune in Sirmour.
