J&K town to get Rs11 crore-fire station

A Rs11-crore fire and emergency service station would be set up at central Kashmir's Chrar-e-Sharief town, devastated by a major blaze following a gun battle between militants and security forces over a decade back.

A state-of-the-art fire and emergency service station would be established in the town housing the famous shrine of Sufi Saint Sheikh Noor-ud-din Noorani at a cost of Rs11 crore, state Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather said at a public meeting in Chrar-e-Sharief, 29km from here, yesterday.

In May 1995, a devastating fire razed almost all structures to the ground in the town after security forces launched an operation to clear the area of a large group of militants holed up there.

The minister also said the construction work of 'Khanqah' (prayer hall) within the shrine complex would be completed this year.