Ludhiana: 2,500 cops, 123 firemen on standby to ensure a safe Diwali

Cops will be stationed at all major points in the city, including markets, religious places and over 40 checkpoints. Residents bursting crackers beyond permissible time limits or on roads to face action in Ludhiana

As the city celebrates Diwali on Thursday, at least 2,500 police personnel and 123 fire brigade officials will be on stand-by to prevent any untoward incident during the festivities.

Fire safety officer Kartar Singh issuing instructions to firemen ahead of Diwali in Ludhiana on Wednesday. (Harsimar Pal Singh/HT)

Cops will be stationed at all major points in the city, including markets, religious places and over 40 checkpoints. Traffic personnel will also be present at all major roundabouts to streamline the movement of vehicles. Assistant commissioner of police (ACP, headquarter) Jyoti Yadav said that patrolling has been increased in all sensitive areas to ensure law and order.

Officials have appealed residents to refrain from bursting crackers on roads. Police will take action against those bursting crackers after permissible hours.

Short on staff but firemen all geared up

Reeling under staff shortage, the fire brigade is all geared up for Diwali night, with 123 staff members, including the 30 permanent, 73 contractual members and 20 additional drivers, on stand-by. Firemen say that on an average, 25-30 fire incidents are reported every Diwali.

Apart from the five fire stations situated on old GT Road, Focal Point, Gill Road, Haibowal and Sundar Nagar, four temporary fire stations will also be established at Aarti Chowk, Jalandhar Bypass, Sherpur Chowk and Samrala Chowk. A fire tender will be stationed at each spot to reduce reaction time after receiving an alert.

For these heroes, duty comes first

For firemen and police personnel, who will be on duty on Diwali night, it is their sense of duty that keeps them going. Fire station officer (FSO) Kartar Singh said he was never celebrated Diwali with his family in the last three decades. “My wife and two children live in Bathinda. As firemen are always required to work on Diwali nights, I, and my colleagues, don’t get to celebrate with our families. We are lucky that our family understands our line of work. I try to keep in touch with them through video calls during free time.”

SFO Maninder Singh, who has a two-year-old son, says, “For us, duty comes first. On Diwali nights, we are mostly on the field throughout the festivities.”

100 cops to be promoted on Diwali

Police commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar has promoted 100 police officers ahead of the auspicious festival. Two sub-inspectors have been promoted to inspectors while two assistant sub-inspectors have been promoted to sub-inspectors. Similarly, 96 ASIs who were working on local rank for the past few months have been confirmed.