Goa, Oct. 31 -- GAURESH SATTARKAR

Buried, sealed and de funct fire hydrant valves across the Curchorem market have raised fire safety concerns, prompting residents led by Dattaraj Dessai to submit a memorandum to the municipal ad ministration demanding urgent repairs and restoration of wa ter supply. The move follows the fire at Vasco market that gutted over 150 shops and caused losses worth lakhs of rupees just days before Diwali. Fear ing that a similar lack of water availability could hamper firefight ing efforts in Curchorem, local youth and residents inspected hydrant points in the market the previous evening and found several buried un derground, sealed beneath footpaths or completely dry.

While the hydrant valve near the police s...