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Bhopal fire: Hydraulic ladder bought for ₹5.5 crore was unused. What happened?
The hydraulic ladder was bought to help fight fires in buildings up to 18 storeys high, but could not douse the fire at Satpura Bhawan in Bhopal.
An advanced fire-fighting hydraulic ladder worth ₹5.5 crore bought nine months ago lay unused 40 metres away from the seven-storey Satpura Bhawan in Bhopal, which caught fire on Monday.
The ladder was bought to help fight fires in buildings up to 18 storeys high, but could not douse one of the biggest fires in the state capital in recent years. This is because it lacked the clearance from the Regional Transport Office (RTO) and of qualified personnel, NDTV has learnt.
As a result, the Indian Army and Indian Air Force (IAF) intervened and the fire was brought under control after 14 hours since breaking out. Madhya Pradesh home minister Narottam Mishra said there was no space for this hydraulic machine to pass and a parking area has been built, blocking the way. He added that chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan ordered that arrangements should be made to ensure enough space in big buildings (for fire-fighting vehicles to enter)."
According to report, before the purchase of hydraulic ladder, the fire brigade used step ladders and machines which could only reach three-four storeys. They were used in Monday's fire fighting operation. Four-five people were trained to use hydraulic ladder but were not available when the fire had broke out.
Documents destroyed in blaze
The fire had started on third floor at 4 pm on Monday and spread to the sixth floor. The building houses offices of various departments of the state government. The affected building is located on a hill in front of the state government secretariat, Vallabh Bhawan. According to officials, the fire has destroyed furniture and documents of several departments. The state government has formed a committee of senior bureaucrats to probe the possible reasons behind the fire. The panel includes the Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Rajora, Principal Secretary (Urban Administration) Neeraj Mandloi, Principal Secretary (PWD) Sukhbir Singh and Additional Director General (Fire).
