Dera Bassi post office sans fire safety equipment

Satinder Pal Singh

Dera Bassi, June 27

Throwing norms to the wind, the post office here is running without proper fire safety equipment, putting the lives of employees and residents at the risk who visit the post office.

During a visit to the post office, it was found that no fire extinguisher or any fire safety equipment was installed on the premises that witnesses heavy footfall every day. Public safety is probably the farthest thing on the minds of the concerned authorities.

The area where the post office is situated is densely populated and has lots of narrow lanes which make movement of two-wheelers in these lanes a herculean task.

The norms regarding making arrangements to deal with any fire exigency are being given a blatant go-by as necessary infrastructure such as fire extinguishers and sand-filled buckets are virtually non-existent at the post office. The Fire Safety Department has also been unable to enforce norms. While innumerable public and official documents are lying totally insecure, the government has done little in this connection.

“Due to old bazaar, if any untoward incident takes place, a stampede-like situation will be created here. We are always prepared for the worst scenario and we have taken appropriate fire-safety measures in our stores. However, not many people are aware of fire safety,” said Santosh Kumar, a local shopkeeper.

Jainender Kumar, a resident of the area, while speaking to The Tribune, said the area had developed in such a manner that if one of the structures catches fire, the entire area would be engulfed along with it immediately.

“All official records can be destroyed due to negligence. People visit here daily are oblivious of the fact that if any mishap takes place, there is not even a single extinguisher to douse the flames,” said one of the officials.

“It shows the irresponsibility on part of the higher authorities, who are not bothered about the safety of employees and public. We brought it to the notice of the authorities several times, but everything fell on deaf ears,” the official said.

KK Chauhan, Superintendent of Post Offices (Chandigarh), said: “The matter was not in our knowledge. We will send the Area Assistant Superintendent of Post Offices to take stock of the things that are required at the post office at Dera Bassi.”