Fashion Street: Shopkeepers Seek Help From Government After Stalls Burnt In Massive Fire

Pune, March 27, 2021: Tulshibaug and Fashion Street in Pune are always bustling with youths. Last night (March 26, 2021), a huge fire broke out on Fashion Street in the Camp area, gutting more than 600 shops. 

The massive fire has destroyed many shops filled with clothes, electronic goods, shoes etc. It has left the shopkeepers of Fashion Street feeling helpless. They expressed their turmoil and said that their business was already affected due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and now, the fire has engulfed them with more problems.

Kishor Khillare, one of the shopkeepers whose shops were gutted in the fire, said, “Earlier, we had to keep our shops closed for several months due to COVID-19.  So the fire has raised a question on our livelihood. Help us to stand on our own feet again.”

 “I have been selling clothes on Fashion Street for the last 24 years. Many things have taken place here till now. However, I have never seen such a massive fire. This fire has ended the livelihood of everyone, including me. The stores had already been shut for eight months due to COVID-19. This is where the young class comes in large numbers for shopping. Since schools and colleges were closed, very few customers bought things from us. After so long, people had slowly started visiting our shops. It had bought some relief to us. So we hoped to gradually start our businesses like before. We had purchased and stocked up on stuff worth lakhs for the next festival. We hoped to earn well during the forthcoming festive season so that gradually our lives would return to normal,” he informed. 

“Yesterday, we all had closed the shops around 10 pm and went home. Before I reached home, I received a call that our shops had been engulfed in fire. There are more than 600 shops on Fashion Street. I feared how big the fire might be. I came back and saw that the fire was big. I thought my shop may also have been gutted by fire as it was massive. So I stopped on the other side of the road and watched the shops burn. I had been sitting here all night. Today is Saturday and tomorrow is Sunday. Now, all the goods in the shops have been burnt to ashes. I don’t know what to do now,” the distressed shopkeeper said. 

Workers get tearyFashion Street has over 600 shops. There are at least two workers in each shop. Around 1,000 workers had gathered together to see the condition of the shops. Looking worried, all these workers stood next to the market, checking whether their shops were in good condition or not. Many workers could not control their tears after seeing their shops burnt to ashes. All these workers are now worried about how they will get their livelihood and how the market would stand again after this massive fire.