The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Fire stations at major market yards soon: Chief Minister

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Sunday, May 04, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Fire stations at major market yards soon: Chief Minister

YSR to review situation in Guntur today

HYDERABAD: Upset over the fire that devastated the Guntur Chilli Market yard, the State Government has decided to take permanent measures in major and minor agricultural market yards to tackle fire mishaps more effectively.

Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, who reviewed the situation arising out of the major fire that gutted the Guntur market yard, the biggest in Asia, wanted them to set up fire stations in all the major agriculture market yards in the State while the smaller market yards would be provided with necessary fire-fighting equipment. “Big market yards where commercial crops like chillies and cotton are stored need permanent measures,” he said asking the officials to come up with a concrete action plan within three months.

The Chief Minister said the Government would consider relocating the market yards like the one in Guntur as the mushrooming growth of population around them was posing difficulties in accessing them whenever such incidents took place. But, any decision on the issue would be taken after reviewing the local conditions and taking the views of the stakeholders.

Dr. Reddy who will visit Guntur for getting first hand information on the incident on Sunday said 60,000 quintals of the chilli was stocked in the hard. “We have to retrieve what is remaining and assess how much had the insurance coverage following which the Government can announce compensation to farmers,” he said.

Meanwhile, different political parties have expressed concern over the losses incurred by farmers due to the fire mishap. Leaders of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), CPI and the BJP lamented that farmers lost produce worth over Rs. 200 crore at a time when they were fighting for enhancement in minimum support price.

They said the Government should take steps to ensure that the affected farmers were compensated fully .

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