Freebies destroyed in fire at community hall in Perungalathur

According to Tambaram tahsildar Subbulakshmi, there were a total of 4500 items kept in the community hall of the Perungalathur town panchayat, which were damaged in the fire. The cause of fire is being investigated by police and fire department, she said. 

The fire was first noticed by some panchayat staff who alerted the revenue officials. The control room was informed about the fire and two fire tenders were pressed into service. But by the time the fire was put out, the entire stock was damaged. Though the community hall was constructed in the year 2011-12 at a cost of Rs 15 lakh, it was never officially opened for the public and since then the revenue department had been using it as a godown, said sources. 

The community hall was opened only a few times after the 2016 election was announced as the AIADMK government had not started the freebies distribution, even after returning to power last year. During the Vardah cyclone, all the window panels of the community hall were damaged and never repaired though a huge stock of mixies, grinders and fans were kept inside, added sources. 

Police suspect that some anti-social elements might have been behind the incident.