HHRC raps Haryana over five-year delay in buying key fire rescue gear

The rights panel flagged missing hydraulic platforms and turn table ladders as a serious safety risk and directed the state to submit a time-bound action plan.

The Haryana Human Rights Commission (HHRC) has taken strong cognizance of serious gaps in fire safety preparedness, sharply criticising a five-year delay in procuring critical equipment like hydraulic platforms and turn table ladders. Terming the delay “inexcusable”, the Commission warned that prolonged administrative inaction poses a direct threat to public safety, particularly in high-rise and densely populated areas.

The commission urged inclusion of hydraulic platforms and ladders under external development works to enable funding and faster procurement. (HT Archive)

Justice Lalit Batra, chairperson HHRC, said the observations were made in a recent suo motu case order examining Fire and Emergency Services department reports. “The HHRC noted that despite rapid urbanisation and a growing skyline, essential rescue equipment required for evacuating people from multi-storeyed buildings during fires, earthquakes or structural emergencies has remained pending for procurement for nearly half a decade,” he said.

The commission underlined that hydraulic platforms and turn table ladders are vital safety mechanisms, not optional add-ons. They allow external access to higher floors when staircases and lifts are unusable and provide safer evacuation for the elderly, patients, and persons with disabilities, reducing panic and stampede risks.

To be sure, under the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, a State Human Rights Commission can inquire into violations or negligence by public servants and make recommendations to the state government. The HHRC cannot itself procure equipment; it can investigate, call for reports, and recommend corrective steps or policy changes.

Justice Batra said the HHRC further examined the Haryana Development and Regulation of Urban Areas Act, 1975, noting that “external development works” already include fire stations and infrastructure for planned urban development. “It observed that the Act contains an enabling provision for including any additional works essential for public safety. In this context, the Commission recommended that hydraulic platforms and turn table ladders be formally recognised as part of ‘external development works’, allowing their procurement and funding through established statutory mechanisms,” he said.

Expressing concern, commission members Kuldip Jain and Deep Bhatia cautioned that the absence of such equipment severely compromises disaster response. Referring to a recent fatal fire in Hong Kong, the HHRC warned that if tragedies can occur in highly developed cities, the risk is far greater in Haryana without essential tools. It stressed that governments should not wait for a catastrophe before acting.

Calling for urgent intervention, the Commission directed the Haryana government to expedite procurement without procedural delays and present a clear, time-bound action plan. Compliance reports have been sought from the Additional Chief Secretary, Town and Country Planning and Urban Estates Department; the Director General of Town and Country Planning; and the Director General of Fire and Emergency Services. All must present reports via video conference at the next hearing on February 10, 2026.

The HHRC stated any further delay could expose citizens to “irreparable but avoidable harm”, reiterating that fire safety is not merely administrative but a fundamental human rights concern tied to the protection of life and dignity.