NDTV: New
Delhi: Monday, October 07, 2019
While
the administrative control of Delhi Fire Service is with the city government,
as per its website, the recruiting agencies for the department are the Union
Public Service Commission (UPSC) and Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board
(DSSSB), said the RTI reply.
The
Delhi Fire Service (DFS) is grappling with a severe staff crunch with over 32
per cent vacancies persisting despite new appointments made just a month back.
According
to data accessed by IANS through the Right to Information (RTI) Act, of the
2,367 total sanctioned posts for firemen in DFS, 1,598 were filled in
September, while 769 are vacant. Of the 1,598 newly appointed firemen, 500 are
fresh recruits.
While
the administrative control of Delhi Fire Service is with the city government,
as per its website, the recruiting agencies for the department are the Union
Public Service Commission (UPSC) and Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board
(DSSSB), said the RTI reply.
"Firemen
are key staff of the Department. The training of the 500 new recruits has been
completed and they have joined the Department," a senior fire official
told IANS.
The
DFS is also facing manpower crunch in the fire fighting staff section. Of the
3,127 posts in the fire fighting section, 913 are vacant. "Of the five
sanctioned posts for Chief Fire Officer, three are vacant," according to
the RTI reply.
The
condition is no better in the Communication section. "A total of 65 posts
for radio telephone operators are vacant against the sanctioned strength of
100. The two positions for Communication Officers and one for Wireless Officer
are also lying vacant," the RTI reply added.
The
DFS official said the department was doing its job with what it had and the
available manforce had been distributed across 61 fire stations in Delhi.
"There are ideally six persons on one vehicle. At present we operate with
four. We have to send in more vehicles each time there's a big fire some
where," the official added.
Delhi
has witnessed a number of fire incidents in 2019, including a blaze in Karol
Bagh in which 17 people were killed.
.JPG)
.JPG)
