No highrise fire-fighting vehicle, only 22 tenders: Why fighting fire is a task in Noida, Greater Noida

The two incidents have exposed how ill-prepared Noida and Greater Noida in Gautam Buddha Nagar district are in managing massive fires, though these areas boast hundreds of highrises, home to lakhs of people.

According to the district’s fire department, it has only 22 fire tenders for the whole of Gautam Buddh Nagar. Also, the department currently does not have equipment like robot fire and highrise fire fighting vehicles. It only has one foam tender and one quick-response vehicle. While it has six water bowser machines, it has 10 water tenders (5,000 litres), three water tenders (2,500 litres) and two water mist machines.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Gautam Buddha Nagar Chief Fire Officer Pradeep Kumar said on Thursday, “We have demanded 25 fire tenders each from the Greater Noida and Noida authorities. While an amount of Rs 30 crore has been sanctioned by GNIDA (Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority) to meet our demand, Noida Authority has sought to know which equipment we need. In the next two days, we will form a committee and send them our demands.”

Asked about the department’s plan to tackle fire incidents in the future, Kumar said, “Our team is ready. We have stationed vehicles in main areas like Gaur City, Rabupura, Jewar, and Dadri… Also, 104 temporary fire stations are being created.”

“For highrises, we have written to the authorities… seeking that the condition of hydrants be fixed in such areas,” he added.

Kumar further said that the department has started inspecting hostels and PG accommodations in the district to see if fire safety measures are up to the mark. “Till now, 35 units have been inspected. In some, fire equipment does not work. We have asked that these be fixed…,” he said, adding that soon, a list will be compiled of units that are not following fire safety norms.

When contacted, GNIDA officials said a proposal has been approved to buy fire equipment for the district. “The decision was taken based on a letter written by the Uttar Pradesh Fire and Emergency Services headquarters, Lucknow, on January 16. The department has sought equipment to control the blazes in Greater Noida,” an official said.

Chief Executive Officer of Noida Authority, M Lokesh, said, “Following the footsteps of GNIDA, we told our fire safety officer that we are part of the same initiative and are committed to paying the same amount of money… he can purchase whatever equipment he wants.”

Officials at Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) said that it has not allocated any funds to buy fire equipment for the district, parts of which come under YEIDA jurisdiction. “We have allocated land to the district’s fire department to build a fire station almost four years ago but it is yet to come up,” an official said.