Owners of 300 stalls to get up to 50% compensation

Hyderabad: With over 300 shops reduced to ashes in the powerful blaze that ripped through Numaish on Wednesday night, the management of the Exhibition Society announced on Thursday that compensation would be paid upon assessment of the damage and steps taken to rope in insurance players for covering any such mishaps in future.

Earlier, many of the distraught traders protested vehemently for alleged lack of fire safety measures on the premises hosting one of India’s longest, largest and finest shows.  

In all, 120 of the disappointed stall owners are from Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Jammu and Kashmir. In fact, it was their protests that drew a positive response from the management of the Exhibition Society. 
 
The shop owners who had lost most of their property in the fire accident gave vent to their anger at the exhibition society for its alleged failure in taking adequate fire safety measures and demanded compensation. 

They poured out their woes, saying they have lost everything, including money and their means of livelihoods due to the incident. 

Some of the affected traders said they had taken loans to set up the stalls. Officials said 300 shops, mainly those dealing in clothes, plastic and dry fruits, were reduced to ashes in the fire attributed to short-circuit in one of the stalls. 

 Interestingly, it was also found that the society had even allowed the setting up of a stall covering a small temple on the premises. Even this stall was destroyed in the fire.