Monday mayhem razed many dreams

New Delhi: “All the savings we built up for years have turned into ashes. My cloth shop, which was my only source of survival, is now a thing of the past. What will I feed my children? I have nowhere to go. All I am hoping is that the fire has spared a few dress materials for us,” said Sahil Sharma, one of the cloth shop owners.   

Katra Dulia, one of the oldest wholesale cloth markets in the Walled City, which bustled all day long had gone quiet on Tuesday. Scores of shop owners, who used to be busy catering to customers otherwise, were seen collecting the remnants of their burst down shops with moist eyes. For many it was the end of their survival, their dreams, and hard earned money.

“The market will never be able to come to terms with the losses incurred. The shopkeepers had just picked up the pace post demonetisation and now this happened. We are left with nothing and doomed for life,” lamented Sharana Kumar, another cloth shop owner.

The families of many shopkeepers, who were busy salvaging the leftover materials from their burnt down shops, were seen bringing food for fellow shopkeepers.

“Most of the shopkeepers remained here till 6 am. None of them went home. We have lost all we earned for so many years. One can’t even imagine the loss the market and the shopkeepers have borne. We will never be able to make a comeback,” said Mr Kapoor.

However, the news about the fire didn’t dampen the spirit of the shoppers who were seen flocking the streets on Tuesday. However, the fire officials had cordoned off the entrance of the market.