In the wake of the Bhandara hospital fireplace tragedy, state’s Minister for Relief & Rehabilitation Vijay Wadettiwar expressed the necessity for superior fireplace combating system in rural areas. However, prime state authorities officers stated there was no fireplace combating system in any respect in rural areas. None of the 34 zilla parishads in Maharashtra has a hearth brigade at their disposal.
“In the wake of Bhandara hospital tragedy, there is a need to set up an advanced fire fighting system and conduct fire and safety audit of buildings,” Wadettiwar informed reporters after visiting the Bhandara hospital on Saturday.
In Maharashtra, 28,813 gram panchayats perform beneath the zilla parishads, which run main well being centres and hospitals in rural components. In all, there are 1,814 main well being care centres in Maharashtra moreover 23 district hospitals, 361 rural hospitals with 30 beds, 58 sub-district hospitals with 50 beds and 28 sub-district hospitals with 100 beds. All these function in rural areas. In case a hearth happens in a residential or industrial space, authorities workplaces or in hospital or different well being services, the hearth brigade must be summoned from the close by municipal council or municipal company. It causes a delay within the fireplace combating actions as civic our bodies are positioned far-off from rural areas, stated a authorities official.
State’s Additional Chief Secretary (Urban Development Department and Panchayati Raj) Rajesh Kumar stated, “It is true that there is no fire brigade system available in rural areas. The Zilla Parishad Act does not make provision for the fire brigade. However, the municipal councils and municipal corporations have their own fire fighting system in place.” While municipal firms have efficient fireplace combating system, municipal councils, like gram panchayats, are laggards in relation to fireplace combating system, officers stated.
“In the wake of the hospital tragedy, I feel there is need to set up a fire fighting system in rural areas as well. We will have to put a proposal before the cabinet,” Kumar stated.
Top authorities sources stated the Directorate of Fire Services doesn’t have an IAS or IPS officer as its head. “In Karnataka, an IG-level officer heads the Directorate of Fire Services. In Maharashtra, IAS or IPS officers do not head the Directorate of Fire Services. As a result, the fire services are not run effectively,” stated an official, on the situation of anonymity.
Okay C Karkar, retired further collector, Pune, stated, that in case of fireside incidents in rural areas, they don’t have any different choice however to method the municipal councils or firms. “By the time the fire brigade arrives from city areas, the damage is already done. I don’t think any thought has ever been given to set up the fire brigade facility or provide proper fire fighting services in rural areas,” he stated.
Karkar stated gram panchayats with meagre budgets can’t be anticipated to arrange fireplace brigade services and take care of them. “Since there are thousands of gram panchayats and they have meagre budget, at least at taluka level the fire fighting system can be set up. This system has never been given a serious thought by successive governments…,” Karkar added.
In Pune district, there are two municipal firms, three cantonment boards and 14 municipal councils. Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) commissioner Suhas Divase stated, “MIDC and municipal corporations have proper fire fighting system but even municipal councils do not have effective systems because of lack of finances. In the last year or so, PMRDA has taken maximum care of fire incidents in rural areas in the district.”
