Cotton worth Rs 5 crore feared gutted as firecracker hits open plinth in Abohar factory

Raj Sadosh

Our Correspondent

Abohar, November 15

As many people continued bursting crackers throughout the intervening night of Sunday-Monday and during the wee hours of Sunday, also violating the two-hour permission that expired by 10 pm, hundreds of cotton bales that were stacked in an open plinth were gutted in fire, believed to be caused by a cracker that fell in a private yard.

Preliminary inquiries indicated that smoke was found emanating from a cotton yard in the Bansal Industries located in an urban area on the old Fazilka Road.

The fire is believed to be caused by a cracker that fell in a private yard.

The staff immediately informed factory owner Naresh Pal Bansal, who then called the Municipal Board fire brigade. The first vehicle reportedly reached within 15 minutes but gauging the gravity of the fire spreading fast, another fire tender was called from Fazilka, about 32 km from here.

It is leant that about 2,500 bales of ginned and processed cotton may be found damaged.

While the Government of India has fixed weight of 170 kg for a bale, many states still have bales with 160 to 165 kg. Ginned cotton is quoted in candy while exports take place in terms of tonnes. The market price of 2,500 bales is estimated to be Rs 5 crore.

Most of the stack belonged to the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) that had entered Abohar market last month and was so far the prime purchasing agency, private traders had not purchased much of cotton since CCI was offering a higher price despite of controversies that had cropped up due to protests by labourers and farmers union over labour charges and lower price given due to moisture content.

Fire tenders were still carrying out the operation till filing of this report as flames catch the bottom layers of the stacks when upper layers are removed.