Sagar Firdous
Sopore, Oct 09 (KNS): A fruit grower in north Kashmir's Baramulla district suffered huge losses after a fire, triggered by a short circuit amid heavy rain and gusty winds, gutted his apple shed in Sempora area of Sopore, destroying his entire year's harvest.
The blaze broke out around 6 pm on Wednesday in the shed belonging to Manzoor Ahmad.
The shed was packed with freshly harvested apples and boxes, all of which were reduced to ashes. The backside of Ahmad's house also suffered damage.
"It was a whole year's hard work kept in this shed. The apples had recently been picked and stored here. Everything turned into ashes, everything is lost. Even the backside of the house was damaged," locals who witnessed the fire told news agency Kashmir News Service (KNS).
Locals have appealed to Agriculture Minister Javid Ahmad Dar and Sopore MLA Irshad Rasool Kar to support Ahmad, whose losses are huge.
They also urged the administration to provide adequate compensation so that he can repay the orchardists whose apples he had purchased this year.
Speaking to KNS, Manzoor Ahmad said he has not been able to sleep since the incident. "It has been a very hard time since yesterday. My year's hard work has been destroyed in the fire. I couldn't sleep. There are huge losses. I appeal to the government to help me," he said.
Parveena Akhter, a neighbour, said the fire broke out at around 5:45 pm after an electricity transformer near the house short-circuited amid heavy rain and a windstorm.
She appealed to the administration to support the victim so that he can bear the losses. (KNS)
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