Chilli farmers protest frequent fire mishaps in cold storages

A fire broke out in a private cold storage unit near here in the early hours of Wednesday, destroying 50,000 bags of chilli.

The fire broke out at 3.30 a.m. in Sri Sai Surya cold storage unit and an electrical short-circuit is suspected to be the cause. According to Mr A. Sarath, the in-charge collector of Guntur district, significant amount of chilli may have been lost in the incident. He said it was a preliminary estimate and an inquiry was being conducted into the accident.

Farmers blocked traffic on the National Highway-5 near the cold storage unit, demanding compensation of Rs 10,000 a quintal. They said accidents were happening far too frequently in the cold storage units and private companies were not taking proper safety measures.

A week ago, a fire broke out in another cold storage unit in the same area. They wanted the authorities to conduct a thorough probe into the accident and exert pressure on the owner of the cold storage unit to pay compensation to them.

The police used force to disperse the agitating farmers and clear traffic on the National Highway. The district collector said it was for the cold storage management to compensate the farmers. A safety audit would be conducted for all the cold storage units in the area to prevent recurrence of such incidents, he added.

Chilli prices are soaring in the Guntur market this season, with the crop fetching Rs 9,000-10,000 a quintal. The better varieties are stored in numerous cold storage units in the vicinity of the chilli market yard, the biggest in the country.

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