Gitanjali station to be inaugurated months after Hauz Rani fire

New Delhi: The Gitanjali fire station, which was at the centre of questions over fire-fighting resources during the June 3 Hauz Rani blaze that claimed 23 lives, will be formally inaugurated on September 30, officials said

New Delhi: The Gitanjali fire station, which was at the centre of questions over fire-fighting resources during the June 3 Hauz Rani blaze that claimed 23 lives, will be formally inaugurated on September 30, officials said.

The station was at the centre of questions over firefighting resources during the June 3 Hauz Rani blaze (RAJ K RAJ /HT PHOTO)

The station began operations around three to four months before the Hauz Rani fire. Officials said two fire tenders and nearly 50 personnel are currently deployed at the station. The deployment will be the same after the inauguration.

Officials said 26 quick response vehicles, along with motorcycles, will also be flagged off to tackle fire incidents in interior areas and congested lanes.

The fire station will be inaugurated as part of the Sewa Se Sankalp Abhiyan, officials said.

The availability of fire-fighting equipment at the station came under scrutiny after the Hauz Rani fire, with a magisterial inquiry also flagging the need for deployment of more fire tenders at Gitanjali. The inquiry observed that the fire could have been controlled earlier with additional resources.

Chief fire officer (DFS) Abhilash Malik said two fire tenders were stationed at Gitanjali when the Hauz Rani incident occurred. However, one tender had been sent to Jonapur to attend another emergency call.

“Personnel were available at the station. One tender had gone to another site to attend a call, while the other tender was sent to the Hauz Rani site on time,” Malik said.

He said the DFS currently has an adequate number of personnel at the station and maintained that the issue during the Hauz Rani fire was that one tender had been deployed elsewhere on another emergency call.

The DFS is also working to reduce the response time of fire tenders across the city. Officials said the current response time is around 7-15 minutes, depending on the location and traffic conditions, and the department is working to bring it down to around five minutes.

As part of this effort, the department has pushed for installing GPS systems in fire vehicles and creating a centralised network to track the movement and location of fire tenders.

Officials said the system would help identify the nearest available fire tender when an emergency call is received and improve resource deployment. It would also enable senior officials to track vehicle locations and help reduce response delays.

The department is also seeking to strengthen its manpower. Malik said the DFS has sought approval for an operational strength of 9,123 personnel across all ranks.

The department has also submitted a 25-year expansion plan to the Delhi government, accounting for the city’s expansion and the growing demand for fire and emergency services.

The formal inauguration of the Gitanjali fire station on September 30 comes amid efforts by the DFS to strengthen its network of fire stations, improve response times and ensure adequate manpower and equipment at strategic locations across the city.