Kabul blaze: Government asked to support affected businessmen

KABUL members on Sunday asked the government to help businessmen who suffered losses as a result of recent fire in some markets in capital Kabul, by providing them loans on easy terms.

They believed that businessmen suffered billions of Afghanis in loss as result of a fire that gutted four markets on Nadar Pashton Road in Kabul City on Thursday.

The fire erupted in Khairkhwa Market and then spread to Etifaq, Zarnigar and Kabul Electric markets in the limits of second police district of Kabul City.

Mustafa Mangal, a senator talking about the incident of fire in today’s Meshrano Jirga meeting, said that hundreds of shopkeepers and traders lost their assets in the blaze and the government should provide loan services to them.

He said more than 550 shops were completely torched and around 500 other shops were partially damaged and the fire that caused hundreds of billions of Afghani losses to shopkeepers and traders.

Taiba Zahidi, another senator, criticized the fire extinguishers for their failure to deal with the fire and demanded compensation to traders who suffered losses in the incident.

Abdullah Qarlaq, a senator from Kunduz province, said that the fire eruption on Nader Pashton Road needed precise investigation.

He also demanded loan services to traders who he said suffered huge losses. “It is the government’s job to assist the traders who are affected in this incident, if we do not provide facilities for them it would lead to capital flight from the country,” he added.

Mohammad Asif Seddiqi, second Meshrano Jirga chairman, asked for investigation about the cause of the fire and said the government must help the affected.

He said the fire department should be equipped with advanced tools so they would be able to deal with blazes on the shortest time possible.

mds

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