Nagaland market fire: CM visits spot, assures of relief

Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on Tuesday visited Mao Market, where around 200 shops were gutted in a major fire on Monday night, and took stock of the situation, officials said.

Rio also assured of monetary assistance to the affected shop owners from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, they said. An official of the Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority (NSDMA) said it is assessing the extent of damage due to the blaze, which had erupted on the ground floor of the kutccha structure.

The fire reportedly ravaged properties worth crores of rupees in the market that housed a variety of shops — vegetables, meat products, groceries, clothing and cosmetics, among others.

Around 20 fire tenders from across Kohima, including those of the Assam Rifles, took around two hours to douse the flames, the officials said.

Personnel of the Fire and Emergency Service Department have started an investigation to ascertain the actual cause of the blaze.

NSDMA sources said there were no fatalities in the incident, as the market was shut on Monday on account of the Nagaland Assembly elections.