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Calling attention motion: Punjab govt to fill up 991 posts of firemen, modernise equipment
Local government minister Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar said the requisition is being sent to Punjab Public Service Commission and Punjab State Subordinate Staff Selection Board for their recruitment and a state-level training institute in Lalru has been proposed to impact high quality training to fire officers and other state.
Local government minister Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar on Monday announced that the state government has decided to fill posts of 991 firemen and 326 drivers in fire stations across the state.
Nijjar said the requisition is being sent to Punjab Public Service Commission and Punjab State Subordinate Staff Selection Board for their recruitment and a state-level training institute in Lalru has been proposed to impact high quality training to fire officers and other state. “The department is also committed to provide modern equipment to firemen,” the minister said while responding to AAP MLA Narinder Kaur Bharaj’s calling attention notice on inadequate staff and equipment in fire stations in the state. There are 69 fire stations in the state.
Bharaj also raised issue of salaries of staff at fire station. To which, the minister said the government is considering setting up a fund to pay the salaries of staff of fire stations in the state.
On dog-bite deaths
SAD MLA Dr Sukhwinder Kumar Sukhi raised the issue of increase in dog bite incidents in the state and the need to control stray dog population. “Of nearly 60,000 deaths due to dog bites globally, 20,000 occurred in India alone,” he said, asking the minister about steps being taken to meet the goal of ensuring zero deaths due to dog bites globally by 2030. Nijjar, while sharing information on availability and procedures to be followed for sterilising dogs, said the issue was complicated as different departments were involved but had been accorded top priority by the state government in both urban and rural areas of the state. “Efforts are being made to set up a common platform,” he said, urging all stakeholders to work together to tackle the menace of stray dogs. As per the 20th Livestock Census, there are around 2.90 lakh dogs in the state.
On crop damage
In response to AAP MLA Kuljit Singh Randhawa’s calling attention notice on compensation for crop damage due to Chinese virus (dwarf), especially in Mohali and Patiala, revenue and disaster management minister Bram Shanker Jimpa said the government has ordered regular girdawari and farmers will be paid compensation as per the survey findings.
