Neighbours fleeing fire yet to return home

Residents of Chawk Bazar who fled their houses because of fire that burned four buildings at Churihatta Wednesday night were yet to return as power supply to the area was yet to be restored.
At least 67 people were killed and scored injured in the fire that broke out at Hazi Wahed Mansion and its three adjacent buildings Wednesday night.
Almost all wires connecting power supply to the affected buildings were burnt down immediately, compelling Lalbag substation of Dhaka Power Distribution Company to suspend power supply to whole Chawk Bazar area.
Residents told New Age that most of the families living in Asgar Lane, Nanda Kumar Datta Lane, Haidar Box Lane and Water Works Lane of overcrowded Chawk Bazar left their houses on Wednesday night to flee the fire.
Nanda Kumar Lane resident Mohammad Siam said that that his family members were still staying at a relative’s house where they took shelter Wednesday night. 
‘There is no power supply since Wednesday night. Dhaka WASA’s water supply line to the reservoir is unaffected. But we could not pump the water to the rooftop tank because in absence of electricity,’ Siam said adding that he was afraid to light home 
stove fearing further accident. 
Mohammad Shahjahan, owner of 34/52, Haidar Box Lane and Mohammad Siraj Miah, a tenant of 11, Ashgar Lane, shared similar experiences. 
Fakhrul Islam, owner of 40/1 Urdu Road, said that power supply to his house was restored Thursday afternoon. 
Saidur Rahman, security at Zamal Sardar Community Centre, a neighbouring building of Hazi Wahed Mansion, said that social programmes including wedding reception scheduled to be held at the centre were postponed for the next 15 days. 
Dhaka Power Distribution Company network operation and customer service executive engineer Harichand Halder said that electric wires were burnt in the Chawk Bazar fire. 
Two transformers close to the fire-burnt buildings were unaffected, he said, adding that power supply to the affected area might be restored this evening.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net