Fire Safety: Only 50% Sonepat high-rises, 16% industries have NOC

Mukesh Tandon

Sonepat, May 18

The Sonepat Fire Department has been facing an acute shortage of staff and equipment for a long time.

According to information, only 50 per cent of the high-rise buildings and 16 per cent industries have valid fire safety No objection C.

100 more employees needed

Around six persons are needed for one fire tender at a time and there are three shifts, which means 20 persons are needed for one fire tender in a day. This means the department needs around 100 more employees. Fire dept employee

Proposal sent to govt for more gear

We have sent a proposal to the government for providing the hydraulic platform and TTL machine as these two machines were very costly. We have also sent a proposal to the government to appoint more employees. Rajender Singh Dahiya, Addl dist fire officer

The fire in a chemical factory in the Kundli area in April could not be controlled due to ill-equipped fire safety system. To douse the flames, fire tenders from Panipat, Rohtak, Bahadurgarh and Delhi had to be called.

Sonepat district has taken a new shape, with high-rise buildings on both sides of the NH-44 as well as in the city, with the development of new industrial areas in Kundli, Rai, Gannaur, Piau Manyari.

As per the sources, there are around 8,000 industrial units, around 140 high-rise buildings, of which maximum are on the NH-44, and multi-level buildings of universities and education institutes in the district.

According to sources, only 1,300 industrial units and 50 per cent high-rise buildings have valid fire safety NOC from the Fire Department.

Official sources said Sonepat had seven fire stations — Sector-3, Rajiv Gandhi Education City Rai, Kundli, MC Sonepat, Kharkhoda, Gannaur and Gohana while the three fire stations in Sector 23, HSIIDC Barhi and HSIIDC Rai are under construction.

Meanwhile, the Fire Department had only 12 fire tenders and five motor bikes to douse flames, while the requirement was of minimum two to three fire tenders at each station, sources said, adding that there was no hydraulic platform and turn table ladder (TTL) machine in the district.

Not only the equipment, the Fire Department has also been facing an acute shortage of staff.

As per the available data, a total of 126 total employees are in the department, of which only 26 are on regular posts, while 94 are on the payroll system and six on contract.

An employee said: “Around six persons are needed for one fire tender at a time and there are three shifts, which means 20 persons are needed for one fire tender in a day. This means the department needs around 100 more employees.”

The sources said the government had appointed permanent fire operators in 2006, but after that, the government did not recruit regular fire operators, adding that around 83 regular posts were lying vacant.

Rajender Singh Dahiya, Additional District Fire Officer, said we had sent a proposal to the government for providing the hydraulic platform and TTL machine as these two machines were very costly.

Besides, we had sent a proposal to the government to appoint 100 more workers, Dahiya added. Some high-rise buildings had single staircases and as per the norms, the NOC couldn’t be provided to such buildings, he added.

Major fire at Karnal banquet hall

Karnal: A major fire broke out at the JBD Rajgharana banquet hall on the Kaithal road in the city on Wednesday evening. Three to four fire tenders were rushed to the spot to douse the flames. The process to extinguish the fire was under way till the filing of this report. The cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained. BJP leader Bharat Bhushan Kapoor is the owner of the banquet hall. Sources said the fire broke out at 7 pm in the outer set-up. TNS

District has 8,000 industrial units

• As per the sources, there are around 8,000 industrial units, around 140 high-rise buildings, of which maximum are on NH-44, and multi-level buildings of universities and education institutes in the district
• Only 1,300 industrial units and 50 per cent high-rise buildings have valid fire safety NOC from the Fire Department, sources said