E-Paper
U.P. will soon be first state to have fire stations at tehsil level: CM Yogi
Around 71 new fire stations have been set up in the state in the last seven years, said CM Yogi Adityanath
Uttar Pradesh will soon become the first state in the country to have fire stations at tehsil level, said chief minister Yogi Adityanath while inaugurating and laying foundation stones of 38 fire stations virtually from his residence here on Thursday.
“Around 71 new fire stations have been set up in the state in the last seven years whereas only 288 fire stations were established in the state till 2017,” Yogi added. On the occasion, he also flagged off 35 fire fighting vehicles. The UP Fire and Emergency Services was established in the state in 1944.
Yogi highlighted the significant strides taken towards modernisation of the department over the past seven years, including prompt deployment of officials. “These efforts have yielded visible results,” he said, pointing out that previously, complaints about the complexity of the NOC process were frequent.
“We implemented various changes to streamline it, leading to a substantial enhancement in U.P.’s ease of doing business ranking in recent years,” the CM added.
Yogi emphasised the need to prioritise reducing response times for fire tenders to mitigate loss of life and property. “Significant enhancements have been made in this area in recent years, resulting in the saving of 3,780 lives in more than 33,000 fire incidents. Furthermore, the lives of over 5,000 animals and properties valued at ₹ 150 crore were saved from getting damaged,” the CM said.
“Additionally, the department remains vigilant in managing crop fires during hot winds and has focused on modernising emergency services to address these concerns,” he said. Yogi further said the government has not only modernised fire services but has also established the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF).
Currently, six companies of SDRF are operational. Besides, formation of the special security force for protection of important buildings and institutions within the state has also been completed. By advancing these efforts, the government aims to strengthen the confidence of the residents, investors and tourists.
In this regard, in the first phase, fire stations will be established at the district level and in the second phase, at the tehsil level within one-and-a-half-years, he said. As per the CM, reducing department response time will strengthen the common man’s trust in the department and the government.
“We must ensure that help reaches people immediately after a fire mishap. Training and counselling of children in schools and colleges regarding precautionary and rescue measures should be part of the programme. This is crucial not only to rely on the department during normal days but to initiate prevention as soon as an incident occurs,” Yogi added.
“We need to prepare people in advance for prevention. Identify the negligence responsible for fire incidents and educate people on how to prevent loss of life so that till help reaches, people themselves can carry out rescue operations at their level. Every incident should be a lesson for us, and we should communicate that lesson to the people so that negligence can be avoided,” he added.
Meanwhile, he also visited the exhibition organised by the department and got information about firefighting equipment from the officials. Transport minister Daya Shankar Singh; Jal Shakti minister Swatantra Dev Singh; chief secretary Durga Shankar Mishra; principal secretary (home) Sanjay Prasad; DGP Prashant Kumar and director general, fire and emergency services, Avinash Chandra were prominent among those present at the event.
