Fire destroys 11 houses in Rapti-Sonari

By Siraj Khan

Banke, Apr 17   : A fire broke out from the house of Sitaram Jaisi at Tikalipur Village in Ward No. 2, in Rapti-Sonari Rural Municipality, Banke district, on the afternoon of April 15. 

According to Dhakeri Police Station in-charge of Tek Bahadur KC, they had called fire engines from Kohalpur and Nepalgunj to extinguish the fire. 

However, until the fire engines from Nepalgunj and Kohalpur arrived in the village, the fire spread and destroyed a total of 11 houses and four sheds.

“The weather was windy due to which the fire expanded to other structures. There is no fire engine at Rapti-Sonari because of which the fire couldn’t be controlled early,” said Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Ain Bahadur Malla, chief of Kohalpur Area Police Office.

The rural municipality has decided to provide a compensation of Rs. 150,000 to all the families as a support for building new houses. Banke District Disaster Management Committee has also pledged to compensate the victims.

Meanwhile, locals argued that they wouldn’t have to be compensated repeatedly if the rural municipality had its own fire engine.

“We have no option but to wait for the fire to spread and cause significant damage until the fire engine arrives from Nepalgunj or Kohalpur. Because the fire engine has to come from far, the properties are reduced to ashes in front of our eyes before they reach the village,” said Janak Tharu, a local of Rapti-Sonari.

During the summer season, fire incidents are a common occurrences across Banke’s eastern region – Rapti-Sonari and Narainapur. These two rural municipalities are far from Nepalgunj and Kohalpur, the reason why fire engines reach take time to reach there. 

Narainapur Rural Municipality had recently procured a fire engine after continuous pressure from the locals. 

“After the fire engine was bought, it has been easy to put out fire incidents and prevent widespread damage. Earlier, several properties turned to ashes as the fire engines couldn’t arrive in time,” said Istiyak Ahamad Sah, chairman of the municipality.

Meanwhile, locals of Rapti-Sonari continue to wait for a fire engine as it doesn’t fall under the municipality’s priority in the officials’ five-year tenure.

“The municipality spent budgets under different sectors but didn’t prioritize fire incidents, a recurring major disaster at the local level,” said Tharu, a local.