AGARTALA, March 20 (TIWN): At 1 AM, locals of the area noticing flame rising from the godown informed owner Nikhil Chandra Nath. Unable to control the fire spreading, the Premtala fire service was called following which the fire service personnel rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control. Eyewitnesses and firefighters claimed that the blaze was caused by a short circuit and the amount of damage caused is 15 to 16 lakh rupees, said Nikhil.

While Kadamtala police came for investigating the whole incident, merchants of the area vented their anger on the market committee. They said they were paying a monthly stipend to the guards and if the guards had done their duty properly, the fire would not have spread that much.

They also asserted that the market was robbed and set on fire a couple of days back but the market committee has no hold on these guards.