Fire causes massive destruction at Sabzimandi - Karachi

Published March 8, 2013
Mohammad Aleem a shopkeeper  whose whole shop went up in flames said: "What looks like a garbage heap now, used to be my shop. I was selling potatoes and onions."
Mohammad Aleem a shopkeeper whose whole shop went up in flames said: "What looks like a garbage heap now, used to be my shop. I was selling potatoes and onions."
A stall owner, Mohammad Wali Asif, stands in front of a pile that he "thinks" used to be his stall.
A stall owner, Mohammad Wali Asif, stands in front of a pile that he "thinks" used to be his stall.
A boy stands in front of a madrassa that also caught fire during the blaze that erupted on Tuesday.
A boy stands in front of a madrassa that also caught fire during the blaze that erupted on Tuesday.
A man stands outside the area where his vegetable stall used to be. Many shopkeepers plan to hold protests if not compensated well.
A man stands outside the area where his vegetable stall used to be. Many shopkeepers plan to hold protests if not compensated well.
Children from around the area look at the ruins of an auto rickshaw workshop.
Children from around the area look at the ruins of an auto rickshaw workshop.
Burned jute sacks under the tin shade in New Sabzimandi. Though there were no casualties, vegetable sellers lost most of their documents and stocks in the blaze.
Burned jute sacks under the tin shade in New Sabzimandi. Though there were no casualties, vegetable sellers lost most of their documents and stocks in the blaze.
Mohammad Arif, a shopkeeper, points towards burned documents beneath the debris.
Mohammad Arif, a shopkeeper, points towards burned documents beneath the debris.
Most scavengers in the area, majority of them children, stick around to look for nails and screws that can be sold in the market for up to six thousand rupees.
Most scavengers in the area, majority of them children, stick around to look for nails and screws that can be sold in the market for up to six thousand rupees.
A shop that was destroyed in the blaze.
A shop that was destroyed in the blaze.
Children from around the neighborhood, stand near what used to be row after row of shops and stalls.
Children from around the neighborhood, stand near what used to be row after row of shops and stalls.
Some shopkeepers squabble with the fire department about coming late. "They showed up early today, but we needed them yesterday, and no one was here," cried Munawar Hussain, a barber.
Some shopkeepers squabble with the fire department about coming late. "They showed up early today, but we needed them yesterday, and no one was here," cried Munawar Hussain, a barber.
Fire men work outside a fruit shop at New Sabzimandi. In the foreground burnt bananas lie in a pile.
Fire men work outside a fruit shop at New Sabzimandi. In the foreground burnt bananas lie in a pile.
A child sits under a concrete shade, which  was once a bustling part of the market.
A child sits under a concrete shade, which was once a bustling part of the market.
A man waits outside his shop for officials or union leader to show up.
A man waits outside his shop for officials or union leader to show up.
A shopkeeper looks on as a cycle workshop behind him is still burning a day after the blaze.
A shopkeeper looks on as a cycle workshop behind him is still burning a day after the blaze.
The remains of an auto rickshaw workshop.
The remains of an auto rickshaw workshop.
The vegetable sellers said before anyone could react the fire swept across the entire market.
The vegetable sellers said before anyone could react the fire swept across the entire market.
The concrete shades at the New Sabzimandi, that housed hundreds of stalls before the fire.
The concrete shades at the New Sabzimandi, that housed hundreds of stalls before the fire.
Shopkeeper Shahid Akbar could only retrieve his prayer beads from his shop, as everything else was burnt to ashes.
Shopkeeper Shahid Akbar could only retrieve his prayer beads from his shop, as everything else was burnt to ashes.
Children walking towards the charred roof of the New Sabzimandi.
Children walking towards the charred roof of the New Sabzimandi.
A boy from the area looks on. Behind him life moves on for the vegetable sellers in the area.
A boy from the area looks on. Behind him life moves on for the vegetable sellers in the area.

Even as the fire was still being put out a day after it engulfed a portion of the New Sabzimandi, vegetable sellers were not sure whether the blaze was a result of arson or because of their negligence.

Giving a mixed response, some said that the whole fire might be the result of arson, “as even electricity poles bent and fell down,” whereas others blamed scavengers for the fire.

Though no casualties were reported, the vegetable sellers mourn the loss of the stock they had as well as the documents they had kept inside their shops.

“What now looks like a garbage heap used to be my shop. I was selling potatoes and onions,” said Mohammad Aleem, a shopkeeper, while speaking to Dawn on Thursday.

Opposite what used to be Aleem’s shop was a dry-cleaning shop owned by Shahid Akbar, who shifted from Narowal a year back and lived inside his shop too. “I could only retrieve my prayer beads, as otherwise everything I owned burned down in the fire,” he added.

According to vegetable sellers, the fire broke out around 12:50pm. “One by one the fire engulfed everything, before we could react properly,” said Mohammad Fazal, a member of one of the several traders’ associations in the market.

The fire department that was called for help came about “two hours late”, the stall owners and shopkeepers complained, and as a result faced the ire of the people.

“Today they showed up early, but we needed them yesterday and no one was here,” cried Munawwar Hussain, a barber working in the area for the past 10 years.

A few steps away from the barber’s shop was a workshop for auto-rickshaws presenting a haunted look, as only wreckage of some vehicles was left.

While most shopkeepers and stall owners thrive on lending small loans to each other, its record went down with their shops and stalls.

In the Sabzimandi compound, most people rent out the space inside the concrete shade to vendors. But for now, one third portion of the area is gutted.

Chief Fire Officer Ehteshamuddin said that it took 15 of their tenders to put out the fire. But he gave a non-committal response about the cause of fire: “It could be because of the immense heat on Wednesday that some of the wooden cartons caught fire that engulfed the whole area.”

Asked why the fire tenders arrived late at the spot, the CFO said: “It was due to the sudden panic and violence in the city that the fire fighters got late.”

Sindh Agriculture Secretary Agha Jan Akhter, however, said that there was a “malicious intent behind the Sabzimandi fire”. He said that the reason why the fire spread out was because the vegetable sellers refused to discard the wooden cartons from the area, “which caught fire, according to initial reports.”

About the number of stalls and shops that were gutted by the fire, Mr Akhter said he was not sure about it, but it’s not in a very large number as reported.

Explaining, he said that the area had no proper infrastructure rather a number of stalls were there in the cemented or iron sheds, “so giving an exact amount of damage is difficult”.

Chairman of a traders’ association in New Sabzi Mandi, Abdul Razzaq, warned that if the people were not compensated properly and in time (within five days), there will be a citywide closure of vegetable shops and the workers would go on strike.”

For that purpose, he called a meeting of market traders on Friday to take a decision.

However, Mr Akhter said that he ‘does not foresee a big strike,’ as people would surely be compensated.

Also, he said, “neither the vegetables are disappearing from the market nor they’d be sold on an expensive price. It was not a wholesale cloth market that caught fire, rather a vegetable market that gets fresh stock everyday.”

He added that the whole incident was a result of ‘poor governance on everyone’s part,’ as the area had seen an increase in encroachers and scrap sellers that affects the overall functioning of the market.

- Text and photos by Saher Baloch/Dawn.com

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