While dealing with the burning issue of fire-fighting facilities in the State the Punjab Government is all set to set up a separate Directorate for fire services, besides implementing the Centre’s Fire Prevention Act.
Blaming the previous SAD-BJP Government for “completely ignoring” the fire-fighting arrangements across the State, the State local Government Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Thursday announced to upgrade the fire-fighting services and make this sector futuristic with hi-tech machines and vehicles.
“We are coming up with a separate fire directorate for better fire services…Some funds have also been made available for it,” said Sidhu.
“It is so unfortunate that in the entire Punjab, there is no fire brigade vehicle equipped with aerial ladder for, barring one at Mohali, despite the fact that hordes of multi-storey buildings have come up in the cities,” he said.
Sidhu added, “We are going to purchase ultra-modern vehicles for all the fire stations…the new techniques to make the services effective.”
Sidhu’s announcement came in response to a query by Aam Aadmi Party MlA Sunam Aman Arora, during the question hour of the ongoing budget session, regarding no fire station at Sunam despite having the largest grain market of the State.
lashing out at the previous dispensation, Sidhu revealed that the State has a total of 54 fire stations, which have 195 fire vehicles, out of which, 114 are outdated.
“Fire brigade and ambulances are two essential services…and the previous Government totally neglected this sector,” he said.
Sidhu disclosed that the Centre had given a grant of Rs 90 crore for upgrading the fire services out of Disaster Management funds. “Out this, only Rs 17 crore were spent and that too for small vehicles which were outdated…the remaining amount was resumed due to non-utilisation,” he said.
Punjab was, in fact, placed in ‘red zone’ by the Centre because of non-utilisation and improper use of funds, senior government official told The Pioneer.
“For disaster management, out of Rs 629 crore received, Rs 91 crore was earmarked for fire extinguishing management and only Rs 17 crores were spent for the purpose whose user certificate was not sent to the Centre resulting in stopping of central grants for the purpose,” said the official.