By : A Staff Reporter 10/29/2007 1:49:25 AM
IMPHAL, Oct 28: Precious and rare records spanning 30 years of Manipuri films, have been lost as the Manipur Film Development Corporation, MFDC along with shops on the southern side of Konung Mamang market was among the structures engulfed in last night’s inferno.
The building of the Manipur Film Development Corporation, MFDC was completely razed to the ground by the devastating fire that destroyed 17 other double-storeyed shops.
Though the fire fighters put the fire under control without much difficulty still their late arrival caused massive loss of property.
“We blame the late arrival of the fire fighters,” cried the shopkeepers and shop-owners. The fire brigade team took about 40 minutes to reach the spot despite being phoned repeatedly by bystanders, police as well as shopkeepers.
Many felt that the timely arrival of the fire brigade could have saved the MFDC office along with the shops at least to some extent.
Fortunately no human casualty was reported in the blaze but three decades film work treasured by the lovers of Manipuri films was completely erased with the burning down of the building of the film corporation.
The administrative block, editing room with all the editing equipments, library, technical room and film and archrival museum were all totally lost in the fire.
All the equipments used in the filming and other documentation work except two cameras for shooting celluloid movies, a 16 mm and 35 mm, that where accidentally stored in another small building standing next to the main building.
“Properties worth crores of rupees were lost but the most unfortunate thing was the reduction of the film and archival museum to ashes. Here all the documents and trends of film development in Manipur were stored,” a senior cameraman serving in the corporation said.
A single item could not be picked up from the rubble as even the iron almirah was melted by the fire which the fire fighters took the whole night to control around midnight.
The vehicles of the corporations were saved as the chowkidar evacuated all the vehicle before the fire totally reached the office building.
According to the witnesses, the building may have suffered lesser loss if the fire fighters had given more attention to controlling the fire spreading to the nearby MFDC building as it was not the first one that burnt. The building started burning only after the fire spread, they observed.
The stocks at 17 shops including four eateries were completely destroyed. Most of the shops were dealing in grocery items. Rooms at the upper floor which some used as dwelling places or as tailoring and beauty parlours were completely burnt.
At least four families residing at the first floor of the shops were left homeless.
Heavy losses were suffered by groceries, utensil and dry fish centres as they had already started stocking different items in connection with the coming Ningol Chakouba festival.
“We had already started piling stocks for the festival even by borrowing money from others. Not only the shopkeepers and shop-owners that lost their properties but also the small time businesses running on imported goods from Moreh and suppliers to the shops at this market were all affected by the losses.
Three fire tenders and two Varun water canon vans from the police finally brought the fire under control at around midnight but smoke was seen coming out from the razed shops.
Source: The Imphal Free Press
IMPHAL, Oct 28: Precious and rare records spanning 30 years of Manipuri films, have been lost as the Manipur Film Development Corporation, MFDC along with shops on the southern side of Konung Mamang market was among the structures engulfed in last night’s inferno.
The building of the Manipur Film Development Corporation, MFDC was completely razed to the ground by the devastating fire that destroyed 17 other double-storeyed shops.
Though the fire fighters put the fire under control without much difficulty still their late arrival caused massive loss of property.
“We blame the late arrival of the fire fighters,” cried the shopkeepers and shop-owners. The fire brigade team took about 40 minutes to reach the spot despite being phoned repeatedly by bystanders, police as well as shopkeepers.
Many felt that the timely arrival of the fire brigade could have saved the MFDC office along with the shops at least to some extent.
Fortunately no human casualty was reported in the blaze but three decades film work treasured by the lovers of Manipuri films was completely erased with the burning down of the building of the film corporation.
The administrative block, editing room with all the editing equipments, library, technical room and film and archrival museum were all totally lost in the fire.
All the equipments used in the filming and other documentation work except two cameras for shooting celluloid movies, a 16 mm and 35 mm, that where accidentally stored in another small building standing next to the main building.
“Properties worth crores of rupees were lost but the most unfortunate thing was the reduction of the film and archival museum to ashes. Here all the documents and trends of film development in Manipur were stored,” a senior cameraman serving in the corporation said.
A single item could not be picked up from the rubble as even the iron almirah was melted by the fire which the fire fighters took the whole night to control around midnight.
The vehicles of the corporations were saved as the chowkidar evacuated all the vehicle before the fire totally reached the office building.
According to the witnesses, the building may have suffered lesser loss if the fire fighters had given more attention to controlling the fire spreading to the nearby MFDC building as it was not the first one that burnt. The building started burning only after the fire spread, they observed.
The stocks at 17 shops including four eateries were completely destroyed. Most of the shops were dealing in grocery items. Rooms at the upper floor which some used as dwelling places or as tailoring and beauty parlours were completely burnt.
At least four families residing at the first floor of the shops were left homeless.
Heavy losses were suffered by groceries, utensil and dry fish centres as they had already started stocking different items in connection with the coming Ningol Chakouba festival.
“We had already started piling stocks for the festival even by borrowing money from others. Not only the shopkeepers and shop-owners that lost their properties but also the small time businesses running on imported goods from Moreh and suppliers to the shops at this market were all affected by the losses.
Three fire tenders and two Varun water canon vans from the police finally brought the fire under control at around midnight but smoke was seen coming out from the razed shops.
Source: The Imphal Free Press
No comments:
Post a Comment