MANSEHRA, Aug 24: At least 80 shops were gutted when a fire engulfed the Lunda Market on Kashmir Road here in small hours on Sunday.

Hundreds of traders and shopkeepers took out a protest rally against the apathy of tehsil municipal administration (TMA) and threatened that if the affected traders were not compensated they would lodge FIR against the high-ups of administration, as fire brigade staff did not reach the site.

The fire, which erupted due to short-circuiting in a shop, engulfed the whole market and destroyed over 70 shops of shoes, cloths, school bags, curtains and other items.

Fire fighters of TMA were informed, but because of fault in the fire brigade vehicle they failed to reach in time, as a result of which fire brigade vehicles from Balakot and Abbottabad were called, but by the time they arrived almost all the sops were destroyed and goods worth millions of rupees were burnt to ashes.

An Afghan shopkeeper who deals in the sale of imported old and new shoes said that if the fire fighters of the TMA had reached the spot in time, the financial losses could have been minimal.

The shopkeepers of Kashmir Bazaar observed complete strike against the TMA and demanded registration of cases against the TMA high-ups.

The traders and shopkeepers from the town took out a protest rally against the TMA officials.

Protesters marched through Kashmir, Abbottabad, Shinkiary roads and chanted slogans against the tehsil municipal administrator and other staff.

Some of the businessmen attempted to torch the TMA office, but they were restricted by others to do so.

Speaking at the protest rally secretary general Central Anjum-i-Tajran Malik Hamid, vice president Mohammad Siddique and other traders’ leaders Fiaz Sularyia and Mohammad Arshid Khan alleged that corrupt mafia had taken hold of the TMA and every work was done only after receiving bribes.

They threatened that if the TMO did not pay amount of compensation to all the affected businessmen within three days, they would register FIR against all the officials of the TMA and payment of all kinds of taxes would be stopped.

They also demanded termination of all the staff of the fire department immediately.

District Nazim Sardar Mohammad Yousaf, Naib Nazim Attique Rehman Jahangery and District Coordinator Officer Israr Khan visited the Landa Market and met the protesters and assured them that appropriate legal action would be taken against the responsible officials of the TMA, as it was prime job of the TMA to provide basic facilities and services to the citizens.

They said that if needed, FIR would also be lodged against the responsible officials.