Late Sunday night, a major fire erupted near the RTO office in Civil Lines, causing extensive damage to property. The blaze engulfed an illegal shed belonging to RTO agent Bablu Bishwas and a nearby eating joint situated in Priyadarshini Housing Society. The residential area, Priyadarshini Colony, located off Amravati Road, is surrounded by illegal shanties of RTO agents, raising concerns about potential collusion with officials.

Mohammad Farooq was the first to notice the fire around 11:35 pm in the shed and promptly alerted the NMC’s fire department control room. A fire tender from the Civil Lines fire station rushed to the scene, but the fire had already spread to the adjacent Charcoal Restaurant, owned by Aatish Gupta, and other sheds. Furniture and materials worth lakhs were destroyed in the blaze.

Despite the efforts of firefighters, it took about an hour to bring the fire under control. While the cause of the fire remains undetermined, there are suspicions that it may have originated from a burning cigarette end igniting plastic chairs in the RTO agent’s shed. Fortunately, there were no immediate reports of casualties, although the incident resulted in significant damage to the affected properties.