MARGAO, May 8 -- Team Herald

Despite a close brush with disaster last December, fire safety in Margao's New market remains woefully inadequate, putting over 450 shops and hundreds of lives at constant risk.

Traders and shopkeepers have raised serious concerns over the lack of basic fire fighting infrastructure, including a long-promised overhead water tank and functioning fire hydrants have remained conspicuously absent till date. This puts the lives of traders as well as those visiting the customers at risk.

On December 26, 2023, a major fire broke out in the vicinity of the market. While a larger tragedy was averted thanks to the swift action of alert traders and fire-fighters, the incident exposed the market's complete lack of

prep...