The Bicholim market, which comprises more than 150 shops, is sitting on a time bomb which could explode any minute swallowing the entire market and other establishments.
This was evident last week when a shop caught fire at night when the entire market was closed down and the fire fighters vehicle was not able to enter the market because of inaccessible conditions. The access to the Bicholim market is so narrow that only a two-wheeler can enter inside. To add to this, most of the shopkeepers have covered the roads by keeping their belongings. The residents feel that these encroachments should be removed as it is a hindrance to the pedestrians. Last week’s incident in the market was an eye opener for the municipality as the fire tender could not enter the market as the access was blocked by plastic awnings installed outside shops as a protective measure from rain. After removing the plastic, emergency personnel were able to reach the fire and extinguish it. A loss of Rs 15,000 has been reported due to the delay in the fire brigade reaching the site. “They were lucky that the incident took place at 10 pm, when people were still in the market, had the same incident happened late at night it could have caused a huge loss of property. If the plastic had caught fire it would have spread fast. We request the shopkeepers to remove the plastic awnings installed outside the shop during night time,” Bicholim fire force in-charge, G S Gawas told Herald. Gawas feels that there should be fire safety provisions in the Bicholim market. “Bicholim market is expanding and even new buildings are coming up, so in this view there should be fire safety provisions in the market.” Gawas added. “The BMC has not installed any fire fighting system in the new complex. Since 2012 we are continuously sending letters to the concerned authorities to install fire hydrants but they have tuned a Nelson’s eye to our pleas,” Gawas says, adding that “fire hydrants are very essentials in the market.” Surprisingly there are only two hydrants in Bicholim from where the fire brigade gets the required water. “We are lucky that the market was saved and every shopkeeper should look into it. It is very risky that the shopkeepers erect tarpaulin outside their shops and this incident has only told us that such incidents could be repeated even again” a Bicholim shopkeeper, Naresh Kadkade said. Even Bicholim MLA Rajesh Patnekar feels that the BMC should look into this so that such incidents are not repeated. “I would personally tell the municipality to remove all the tarpaulins from the market so that such incidents do not happen in the future,” said the Bicholim MLA..
