Huge stocks of chillies, turmeric, Bengal gram gutted at Boppudi cold storage

Guntur: Huge stocks of chilies, turmeric, Bengal gram and black gram were destroyed when four miscreants set on fire to a Boppudi Cold storage unit in Chilakaluripet town in the wee hours of Friday.

According to police, four miscreants manhandled the cold storage unit watchman S Mabu and poured petrol and set on fire the cold storage. Flames spread all over in the B chamber in the cold storage unit destroying huge stocks of red gram, black gram, chilies, Bengal gram and turmeric stock, and the loss is expected to be in several crores. 

As soon as information reached, 10 fire tenders from Guntur, Vijayawada and Prakasam district rushed to the spot and put out the flames. District Fire Officer V Srinivasa Reddy said, ``They got information at 3 a.m and immediately rushed to the spot.

They pressed 10 fire engines into service. Cold storage unit contains two chambers. B Chamber was completely damaged. We were able to save stocks in the A chamber. We broke slab of the cold storage unit and sprayed water to control the flames. 

The capacity of the cold storage unit is one lakh tikkies. The agriculture produce in one chamber was completely damaged. ``After completing the process, we will get details of stock damage,’’ he said. 

Fire officials engaged a JCB and broke the walls and shifted the stock in A chamber in the cold storage unit. The farmers who preserved their agriculture produce in the cold storage are worrying about their stocks. 

They have shown their receipts given by the cold storage unit management for keeping their stocks and are demanding compensation. Chilakaluripet rural CI T Sobhan Babu said, ``chilli, Bengal gram, turmeric stock in the B chamber of cold storage unit was completely gutted. 

Some persons man handled the watchman and poured petrol and set on fire the cold storage unit. We have registered a case and took up investigation. We have to assess the loss, it will take some more time.”

Civil Supplies Minister P Pulla Rao visited Boppudi Cold Storage Unit and inquired about the fire accident. The officials explained details of the accident.