Ludhiana under fire

Add to this,the risk of electric short circuit being the main cause of fire incidents as the heavy load of electric appliances like generators and ACs are suspected to spark off fire. The web of intertwining electric wires hung haphazardly around buildings in the city is an open invitation to a tragedy.

April alone saw nearly 10 major fire incidents damaging property worth crores of rupees. However,no loss of life was reported in any of the incidents. Failing to learn any lessons from the previous fire incidents like the ones witnessed in Gur Mandi and Khud Mohalla,which had wreaked havoc in the city killing scores of people,it seems the city is waiting for another tragedy to happen.

Ironically enough,the owners of the buildings in most of the recent fire incidents have paid with the property worth lakhs of rupees instead of installing fire safety norms as per the building byelaws or the National Building Code of India guidelines.

“The building owners lose to fire their life’s fortunes sometimes,but they are the same people who had avoided spending a small sum of money on the installation of fire safety devices ,”said Assistant Divisional Fire Officer Kartar Singh.

So whether it was the five-storyed Paul Department Store at Basti Jodhewal area,Haveli Ram and Bansi Lal paint godown at Millerganj or the Quality Ice Cream Factory at Focal Point,the fire safety norms were missing in all of them.

“People think it’s wastage of money to install fire-safety devices and would,therefore,not even acquire NOC in this regard. I do not understand how such buildings which have no fire extinguishers or even stairs to climb on to the upper floors,can come up in the city,” the ADFO questioned.

What’s worse,the traffic in the city causes delays in rescue operations as fire tenders get stuck on the road. On the other hand,fire tenders cannot even enter the more congested areas like Gur Mandi,Pindi street,Chuara Bazaar,Lalu Mal street,Purana Bazar,Waitganj,Akalgarh Market near the MC building and Fieldganj among others.

The ADFO said the fire department has installed Fire Hot Line in some of the congested areas. “However,in case of a major fire,installed pipes are of no help as sufficient water pressure is needed to douse the blaze,” he added.

“The memories of the Gur Mandi fire incident are still etched on our minds but people have become complacent ,” said a resident of Chaura Bazar.

In the wake of the fire incidents and looking at the seriousness of the situation,the Municipal Corporation has identified 140 buildings which fail to live up to the fire safety standards. “Most of the buildings in the city do not live up to the standards and there are some prominent names too. We are going to take all such defaulters to task,” said MC Commissioner GS Ghuman,confirming that the corporation regarded it as a serious matter.

Staff crunch
For the 20 lakh population of the city,the fire department has a sanctioned staff of just 86.

Moreover,as compared to the sanctioned force,the existing staff of 41 personnel is less than half of the sanctioned staff. Besides,the department is clamouring for attention as it misses out on the required logistics and even basic necessities like ladders.