Chief Minister meets victims of industrial area fire incident

Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today met the family members of the deceased and other affected victims of the fire that occurred at Jharmajri in Barotiwala industrial area. Expressing deep condolences with the families of those who lost their life in the blaze, the Chief Minister directed the district administration to provide all possible assistance to them. He also met the families of those missing since the incident and consoled them and paid visit to the hospital to inquire about the well-being of the injured.
"The state government stands strongly with the affected families in this hour of grief and it is our responsibility to provide all possible assistance and relief to them", said Sh. Sukhu.
The Chief Minister also visited the incident site and took detailed information from the officers and gave necessary directions.
While interacting with the media, the Chief Minister said that the cause of massive fire was being investigated and added that necessary amendments would be made in the law after consulting all stakeholders in order to ensure that such incidents do not happen again. He said that an FIR has also been registered and strict action would be taken against the defaulters.
The Chief Minister said that Rs. 6.5 lakh each would be given to the families of the deceased. The injured have been provided Rs 5,000 each as immediate relief and besides, financial assistance of Rs. 50,000 per person would be provided soon. The State Government has so far distributed Rs. 3.05 lakh as relief to the affected families.
 He added that smart metering and laying underground electric cables in industrial belts would also be considered.
Five people died in the unfortunate incident and one body is yet to be identified.  Five were still missing. A total of 37 persons were injured in the fire incident, out of which 13 injured have been discharged from the hospital after treatment. 
Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. (Col.) Dhani Ram Shandil, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Chaudhary Ram Kumar, MLA K.L Thakur, Deputy Commissioner Manmohan Sharma were present on the occasion amongst others.