Diwali preparations: Ludhiana MC inspects fire hydrants installed in old city areas

As per the Ludhiana MC officials, around 20 fire hydrants are installed in different old city areas, including Gur mandi, Namak Mandi, Saidan chowk, Wait Ganj etc, to avoid any untoward incident on Diwali

The municipal corporation (MC) and fire brigade officials on Saturday inspected fire hydrants installed in different parts of the old city areas to avoid any untoward incident on Diwali. The exercise is conducted every year before the festival to ensure that the hydrants are functional.

Ludhiana MC superintending engineer Ravinder Garg said the fire hydrants were operational and roster had already been prepared to deploy employees at tubewells 24/7 on Diwali night, so that the firefighters do not face any trouble refilling the fire tenders. (HT PHOTO)

As per the officials, around 20 fire hydrants are installed in different old city areas, including Gur mandi, Namak Mandi, Saidan chowk, Wait Ganj etc. The hydrants play an important role as many times firefighters are not able to drive the fire tenders till the fire spot due to narrow streets. Also, it becomes difficult to move through the narrow streets multiple times to refill the fire tenders in case of an emergency.

The fire brigade officials said the fire hydrants were attached with tubewells and water could be arranged from these points, saving time which is wasted in refilling the fire tenders from a far away point.

MC superintending engineer Ravinder Garg said the fire hydrants were operational and roster had already been prepared to deploy employees at tubewells 24/7 on Diwali night, so that the firefighters do not face any trouble refilling the fire tenders. Generator sets had also been arranged at 22 tubewell sites/refilling stations in case power cuts are witnessed in the areas, he added.

Fire brigade conducts mock drill

The fire brigade also conducted a mock drill at JMD mall situated opposite to fire brigade headquarters on railway station road on Saturday. Fire station officer Maninder Singh said during the drill, the firefighters doused the flames and rescued a person from the mall, while spreading awareness among residents about precautions which can be taken to avoid a fire incident.

Keep space for fire tender on streets : Fire brigade

Appealing to the public to avoid keeping waste or other material on roof on Diwali night, the fire fighters also urged residents to ensure that the cars parked on the streets do not block the passage for fire tender, especially in the old city areas with narrow streets.