Panipat industries face fire risk amid poor safety systems, mounting losses

Fire remains a concern for industrialists in Panipat, where a single spark can destroy assets worth crores within minutes. Inadequate fire systems and equipment, a lax attitude among some factory owners towards installing proper firefighting mechanisms, insufficient training for workers and a limited number of hydrants in industrial clusters have heightened worries for both business owners and the Fire Department.

Panipat, globally known as the ‘Textile City’, is home to hundreds of small and large industries operating not only in designated industrial areas but also on the outskirts and within residential neighbourhoods.

Industrialists here continue to suffer losses running into crores due to major fire incidents each year. As many as 48 significant industrial fires were reported between January 1 and November 15 this year.

On 10 November alone, five fire incidents were recorded, including three major industrial blazes — one in New Model Town, where five women sustained serious burn injuries, another on Barsat Road and a third in a factory on Pasina Kalan Road. A similar major fire broke out in a textile unit on Chautala Road in Sewah village on Wednesday, spreading to an adjoining factory due to its intensity.

The Fire Department had to summon engines not only from IOCL Refinery, National Fertilisers Limited (NFL) and Panipat Thermal Power Station (PTPS) but also from neighbouring districts—Sonepat, Karnal, Kurukshetra and Rohtak. On Wednesday, seven fire tenders from these districts were needed to bring the flames under control.

According to available information, only 116 industries have obtained NOCs from the Fire Department this year, of which seven were revised, while 281 renewals were completed. A total of 188 fire safety applications from industries and other commercial establishments were rejected after inspections found inadequate fire systems, while 45 applications remain pending.

The district maintains five fire stations—Hali Park, Sector 25, Red Light Chowk, Barsat Road on NH-44, and Samalkha—with 124 employees working in three shifts. The department has 20 fire tenders, including eight foam tenders, but a persistent shortage of foam stock remains an issue.

The Fire Department also lacks advanced firefighting tools, including hydraulic platform tenders, flame-proof suits and modern appliances, as well as sufficient personnel. Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini recently laid the foundation stone for an ultra-modern fire station in Sector 25.

Vinod Dhamija, Chairman of the Haryana Chamber of Commerce and Industries, said Panipat is an industrial hub and needs advanced fire safety infrastructure to protect its factories. He added that the new fire station in Sector 25 had been a long-standing demand of industrialists. “Industrialists always raise the need for improved firefighting infrastructure in meetings with administrative officials, political leaders and ministers,” he said.

Gurmail Singh, Fire Safety Officer, said Panipat is a particularly sensitive industrial town, as factories widely use highly flammable polyester materials, chemicals and other substances. These hazardous chemicals can also trigger blasts when fires occur.

He said four new fire stations — in Madlauda, Israna, HSIIDC near the IOCL refinery, and Sector 25 — are currently under proposal. While firefighting teams are making every possible effort to control industrial fires with existing resources, Panipat needs at least 10 more fire tenders, 80 flame-proof uniforms and additional staff to upgrade its firefighting capacity, he added.