Create awareness

Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, is once again witnessing back-to-back fire incidents as the fresh incidents reported this week have caused damage to almost ten residential houses, indicating the lack of awareness among the masses on preventive measures. Nine residential houses were damaged in two separate fire incidents in Kursoo Rajbagh and Rathpora Eidgah areas. Six residential houses were affected in the fire at Kursoo Rajbagh, with four houses almost completely damaged and two partially affected. Similarly, in Rathpora Eidgah, three residential houses suffered damage due to the fire. Furthermore, a fire incident has reduced a Government Primary School building to rubble in Malpora area of South Kashmir’s Anantnag. The blaze erupted in the Government Primary School late at night, triggering a cylinder explosion inside the premises, which caused extensive damage to the structure. These back-to-back incidents clearly indicate that the people, despite witnessing the rise in the fire incidents, are still unaware about the preventive measures, which puts their properties and lives at constant risk. Although the fire and emergency services have launched the awareness drive across Jammu and Kashmir to create awareness among the masses, the rise in such incidents indicate that a lot more has to be done to ensure that these incidents are prevented to save the properties and lives of the people. The civil society too needs to play its key role in this regard and ensure that the people are made aware about the preventive measures so that the number of fire incidents is reduced in Jammu and Kashmir, especially during the winter months.