Fire Turns Banswara Tibetan Market into Ashes:

“Our people who slept in the market on night duty came running to inform us of the incident but by the time we arrived everything had been destroyed by fire. We could not save even a single piece of sweater,” said Penpa whose family entirely depends on him. The cause of the fire has not been ascertained yet. Electricity short circuit might have been the cause, local authorities say. The department of home of the Tibetan exile government will send a representative from Delhi tonight to look into the matter. The Tibetans approached the local Indian administration for help. The district Collector of Banswara said that he will take up the matter with higher authorities but did not promise anything. Last year, a fire broke at a Tibetan market in Mathura causing substantial damage to property. The Tibetans in Banswara had started this year’s business of winter garments only ten days ago. The seasonal business of winter garments has been a major source of livelihood for Tibetan refugees for many years. The closest city to Banswara is Udaipur.