Friday, May 22, 2015

RTI unwraps Thane's weak fire-fighting infrastructure

DNA: Thane: Friday, May 22, 2015.
A Right to Information (RTI) application filed by the Dharmarajya Party revealed that Thane city was short of nine fire fighting stations. The RTI was filed by the party following the fateful Kalbadevi fire which took the lives of three fire fighters. It was further observed that the fire fighting stations did not have the required ladders for accessing tall buildings in emergency situations.
The RTI reply also stated that by December 2015, three fire stations were supposed to become functional in Thane. “As per the reply, Nitin Junction, Owala and Desai road were supposed to get these three stations. Owala and Desai road are only mentioned on paper, no construction had begun yet. It was also found that 384 positions in the fire stations are vacant. The water pumps too are of a low quality, in needs of up-gradation,” said the General Seceratry of Dharamrajya Kamgaar Karmachari Mahasangh, Mahesh Singh Thakur.
In 2015, three fire stations are likely to be functional, three more in 2020 and the remaining three in 2025, the RTI reply stated. “This data is from January 2011 to March 2015 which also says that the existing fire stations are in need of 40 men,” Thakur added.
Arvind Mandke, Chief Fire Officer of Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC), however, said that regular fire audits were carried out for the city's fire stations. He added that the vacant posts will be filled soon. He also clarified that the fire fighters were getting all the basic facilities regularly.
Rajan Raje, leader of Dharmarajya Party, had said that the party would protest in the evening today, May 21, at various places in Thane city as well as Byculla with regard to the death of the fire-fighters in the Kalabadevi fire incident. “On May 21, families who lost their brave warriors will perform rites of the 13th day and we will thus protest tomorrow,” he said.