City sub-fire officer to get President gallantry award

Had saved lives during fire at factory in Ludhiana in 2017

Charanjit Singh Teja

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, December 28

A local sub-fire officer, Hazoora Singh, will get the President gallantry award for saving lives during a fire at a factory in Ludhiana in 2017.

Union Minister Jatindra Singh will present the awards at a special programme in National Fire Service College (NFSC), Nagpur, on January 2.

Hazoora Singh said, “I was promoted in January 2017 and was transferred to Ludhiana. On May 11, 2017, a major fire had broken out at Malika textile mill in the industrial area. Four labourers were trapped inside the tree-storey building. I was leading a three-member team.”

“We entered the building and went upstairs with courage. We had successfully rescued the workers. Suddenly, a major blast took place on the top floor. The rear part of my body had badly burnt. We were trapped there as the fire had spread in the whole building. After sometime, we jumped from the building and saved our lives,” said Hazoora.

Earlier, he had received a state award from the Punjab Government for his service.

Lovepreet Singh, Chief Fire Officer, said, “A total of 15 fire fighters have been selected for the award from the country. Of them, 13 are from Punjab. Besides Hazoora Singh, the wives of two deceased fire officers from Amritsar will also get the award. Suman Gill and Rajinder Sharma had died in another fire incident in Ludhiana.”