Help fire victims: Geelani

Srinagar: Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani Monday appealed people to come forward and help the fire victims of Nowhatta.Geelani who visited the Shahr-e-Khas locality today urged well-off people to generously help the nearly two dozen families whose houses were gutted in a devastating fire yesterday. “If people can deposit their contributions at the Tehreek-Hurriyat office, we will distribute the relief among the victims quickly,” he said, according to a statement.“ Besides, Geelani appealed the locals to provide the affected families accommodation in their homes instead of tents until they are able to raise their own homes,” the statement said, “ Geelani said that it was not appropriate and safe for womenfolk to live in tents and therefore it is our moral and religious obligation to help the families with all possible means.”The statement further said that one of the gutted houses belongs to a Tehreek-Hurriyat activist , Ashiq Hussain , who “ is currently languishing in Kot Balwal jail under the draconian Public Safety Act.”“Ashiq’s mother, wife and child are living in miserable conditions in a tent, while his younger brother is being hunted down by the police,” the statement added.