Fire leaves squatters at old over bridge homeless

[caption id="attachment_183860" align="aligncenter" width="565"] Residents sift through the remains of a 'shelter' that was destroyed in the fire. (EM Images)[/caption] Dimapur, May 18 (EMN): A fire broke out at the old over bridge near the Sente Hotel in Dimapur on May 18, rendering several families homeless and one person injured. According to a witness, the fire broke out at around 4 am. Three shelters underneath the over bridge and a house nearby which consisted of three rooms were razed leaving 12 families homeless. Two gas cylinders were also reported to have ‘exploded.’ According to some eye witnesses, the fire broke out from a shelter under the over bridge and spread to adjoining houses. Four fire tenders were deployed to put out the fire. An 80-year old woman was reportedly injured during the fire and was admitted at the District Hospital in Dimapur. No other casualties were reported at the time this report was going to press. The families living underneath the bridge are reportedly scrap collectors residing in the rooms where they store the scrap. According to a resident, the families dwelling under the bridge pay a lease of INR 1000 every month to an individual who claims to be the landowner. The incident also raises questions of the duty of the city administration to ensure that no one is allowed to reside under public infrastructure such as bridges.