Jammu – November 13, 2026: Conducting an intensive on-ground damage inspection across fire-ravaged commercial premises in Jammu, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha visited the Warehouse, Nehru Market, and Shiv Market complexes, personally engaging with devastated wholesale and retail merchants to oversee relief operations and expedite financial rehabilitation.
Walking through the gutted establishments alongside Director General of Police (DGP) Nalin Prabhat, Divisional Commissioner Vikas Kundal, and Deputy Commissioner Minga Sherpa, the Lieutenant Governor took first-hand stock of the inventory destruction and infrastructural losses wrought by the devastating blazes on Diwali night.
To provide immediate liquidity assistance, Sinha announced the disbursal of ₹1 lakh in ex-gratia relief for each affected merchant through the Indian Red Cross Society. Under the emergency arrangement, financial grants amounting to ₹11 lakh were mobilized for devastated shopkeepers in the Warehouse zone, alongside ₹27 lakh disbursed to affected traders in Shiv Market.
“While executive discretionary funds have statutory limitations, as President of the Indian Red Cross Society in Jammu and Kashmir, I directed the organization to disburse the maximum permissible assistance of ₹1 lakh per shopkeeper,” Sinha told emotional members of the business community. “While this represents a modest sum relative to your colossal inventory losses, it ensures prompt relief while the district administration vigorously coordinates with insurance underwriters to clear commercial claims without delay.”
The Lieutenant Governor reaffirmed that the high-level inquiry panel—comprising IGP Jammu Zone Tejinder Singh and Divisional Commissioner Vikas Kundal—is actively investigating operational preparedness, vehicular deployment, and emergency response times of the Fire and Emergency Services Department, with a binding mandate to submit actionable findings within 15 days.
“The inquiry will be transparent and unsparing. If systemic negligence or response lags are established, administrative culpability will be firmly fixed,” Sinha pledged, directing the Jammu Municipal Corporation and JDA to undertake structural safety audits and upgrade localized fire hydrants across all major commercial centers.
Published by True Roots Media