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Fire works: Firemen inaction (left) and a fire tender on duty |
The move is being seen as part of the state government's comprehensive infrastructure development for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
New colonies
Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Tuesday, while inaugurating two new fire stations at Sector 5 and 15 in Rohini, said, "It is becoming increasingly necessary to set up new fire stations as multi-storied buildings and new colonies are coming up in the capital."
Delhi Chief Fire Officer R C Sharma said, 70 fire stations were sanctioned for the national capital, out of which 46 have already been commissioned. "In another few months the total number of fire stations will go up to 55 while the remaining fire stations are under different stages of construction. All of them would be completed by the end of next year," he said.
Sanctioned tenders
The new fire stations will be equipped with one or two vehicles against the sanctioned strength of three to make the new stations operationable.
"Presently, we are diverting vehicles from other fire stations so that work can be started. The gaps would be filled in the future and we are keen on improving our fire safety standards," Sharma said.
Fire-prone
Seven more fire stations will be commissioned this month and out of that two will be in the thickly populated trans Yamuna area of the city. "Trans Yamuna is one of the most fire prone region of the city and any anti-fire
operation becomes difficult there due to congested roads and heavy traffic," said a
senior officer from Delhi Fire Services.
Response time
The response time in urban areas of Delhi has been suggested between three to five minutes "but that depends heavily on the traffic conditions and other factors like the approach to the area. Sometimes the fire goes out of control only because we are not able to reach close to the area," said the officer.
The new fire stations, besides having modern gadgets and machines to tackle different kinds of fires, would also be equipped with accommodations and training areas for the firemen.
Filling vacancies
Meanwhile, the Delhi Fire Services has also placed its requirement for more than 1,200 men to fill the
vacancies.
"Recently more than 400 posts were filled and the training of the new recruits will begin in September. We have also placed the requirement for more men and all the posts will be filled by next year once the recruits complete their six months training," said Sharma.
New stations
Fire stations at Paschim Vihar, Shastri Park, Mangolpuri, Tigri Kalan, Tahirpur, Sarita Vihar and Jwala Heri would be inaugurated this month.
