Delhi gears up safety measures for Diwali, deploys fire tenders at 22 mishap-prone spots

Image credit: ANI

New Delhi: The Delhi Fire Department will deploy its fire tenders at 22 spots on Sunday and on Diwali from 5 pm till midnight as a precautionary measure, officials said. It had told an internal committee headed by the chief fire officer to identify 50 mishap-prone spots in the national capital where mobile fire tenders can be deployed.

The 22 spots where fire tenders will be deployed are Bara Tooti Chowk, Tilak Nagar, Lajpat Nagar Central Market, Lal Kuan Chowk, Lahori Gate, Nangloi, South Extension, Sonia Vihar, Mehrauli, Ghitorni Metro Station, Ali Pur, Rani Bagh Market, DTC Deport Katran Market, Gandhi Nagar market, Mahipalpur Chowk, Sangam Vihar, Mundka Metro Station, Dera Goan Mor, Azad Market Chowk, Jaipur Golden Hospital, Paper Market Gazipur and Yamuna Vihar.

These spots have been selected based on an analysis of yearly fire-related calls during Diwali so that fire tenders can quickly reach any location, officials said.

Earlier during a meeting with the Delhi Fire Service to review preparedness ahead of Diwali, Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena had suggested a slew of measures to improve the city's fire-fighting capability.

Saxena had directed the department to bring down the response time for rescue calls to two to three minutes from the current eight to 16 minutes. Diwali, the festival of lights, will be celebrated on Monday.

Besides water tenders, motorcycles fitted with fire-fighting equipment will be deployed at five other locations with narrow and congested lanes. These are Ambedkar Nagar, Chandni Chowk, Sabji Mandi Ghanta Ghar, Paharganj Shiela Cinema and Gandhi Nagar.

Despite a complete ban on firecrackers, the department received over 152 fire-related calls on Diwali last year although it was 25 per cent lower than in 2020 and the lowest in 15 years, fire officials said.

The fire services control room usually responds to the maximum number of calls on Diwali, they said. This year, around 2,900 firefighters will be on duty to tackle emergencies.

Leaves and day-offs of officers and staff have been cancelled for Sunday and Monday to ensure the presence of maximum firefighters to deal with any emergency.