Diwali preparedness: 10 fire stations to remain active to tackle any urgency

As Diwali is approaching near, the Ludhiana Fire Department is gearing up to tackle any kind of urgency. Considering past incidents of fire reported on the festival in 2024, which were more than 70, fire officials are leaving no stone unturned to ensure residents celebrate the festival of lights safely this time.

Staff shortage in the Fire Department may create a challenging situation for firemen and to overcome the same, it has asked the Municipal Corporation to provide 20 drivers for a week so that all vehicles can be adequately manned. At present, the department has only 18 drivers.

Meanwhile, all existing fire staff have been denied leave till October 13 as part of the operational readiness plan. Firefighters have identified several densely packed old city areas as highly vulnerable to fire incidents during Diwali. These include Chaura Bazaar, Gur Mandi, Butey Shah Mandi, Akal Garh Market, Namak Mandi, Sarafan Bazaar, Chawal Bazaar, Talaab Bazaar, Kitab Bazaar, Pratap Bazaar, Trunk Bazaar, Wait Ganj, Tibba Road and Tajpur Road, along with their connecting lanes. The new drivers provided by the MC, will also be apprised of information about city areas so that they may reach spots on time.

A critical part of the department’s preparation involves ensuring a reliable water supply network. Teams will be conducting mandatory inspections of hydrants across older market areas to confirm they are fully functional for emergency use.

Furthermore, officials have specifically asked the MC to prioritise the inspection and confirmation of water availability from hydrants in markets that are inaccessible to fire tenders due to narrow lanes. While the department believes these hydrants are working, they require a physical check before the festive surge.

Assistant Divisional Fire Officer (ADFO) Jaswinder Singh Bhangu affirmed the department’s readiness.

“We have finalised our preparations for the Diwali night. The city is growing and unfortunately, the number of fire incidents also tends to increase each year. Residents must adopt safety measures and be extremely cautious when lighting crackers to help prevent any untoward incidents,” he said.

The ADFO said at present, the Fire Department had 25 working fire tenders and two new fire tenders may be added in days to come which will strengthen the preparedness of the department.

“We have seven fire stations — Hambran Road, Central Fire Station, Focal Point, Gill road, Sundar Nagar, Tajpur road and Tibba road. To ensure rapid response on Diwali, three more makeshift fire stations, including Jalandhar bypass, Samrala chowk and Ferozepur road, will be created. These forward-deployed units are designed to facilitate swift movement of the fire tenders to an incident site, bypassing traffic congestion “revealed the ADFO.

Markets lack fire safety arrangements

Though the authorities have designated six places where cracker shops would be established, some shopkeepers have already put up cracker stalls outside their shops and in markets illegally in the city. All such shops and vends lack fire safety arrangements and if anything untoward happens, losses would be unimaginable. The authorities need to take urgent steps to prevent any tragedy.