Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Aug 31: As there seems no taker of Jammu, this division continues to face step motherly treatment in respect of getting Fire and Emergency Services notwithstanding more requirement of the same here.
According to the official sources, whether it is the number of Fire Service Stations or budget allocation, the Jammu has been always at the receiving end while the strength of total employees of the department is also mainly from Kashmir division.
The latest chapter of discrimination has been added in the fresh proposal for setting up new Fire Service Stations across the State as only one third of the total have been projected for Jammu division. Out of 92 proposed Fire Stations, only 30 have been projected for Jammu division and 59 for Kashmir, sources informed the Excelsior.
The lackluster attitude of the political establishment towards this concern of the Jammu can be gauged from the fact that an in-principle decision of then Ghulam Nabi Azad-led Congress-PDP coalition Government in 2008 for separate Directorate of Fire and Emergency Services in Jammu Division, is still awaiting to get practical shape for the last more than seven years.
Pertinent to mention here that the Fire & Emergency Services, J&K is presently spread over 173 Fire & Emergency Stations all over the State. However, only 40 of them are located in Jammu division despite more number of fire incidents here. Accordingly, less than one fourth of the total budget of the Department is spent in Jammu while the number of Jammu based employees in Fire & Emergency Services is only 700 out of 3583 total, sources informed.
As per statistical data of Fire & Emergency Services in J&K for the year 2014, highest number of fire incidents were registered in Jammu district where property worth lakhs of rupees was gutted and eight persons lost their lives during one year.
Though the number of total complaints of fire and emergency nature in entire Kashmir valley was slightly higher than Jammu division, the loss of life in these mishaps was much higher in this region. There were total 172 casualties in the State last year and 126 of them took place in Jammu division only, data revealed.
Adding another chapter to continuous step motherly treatment with Jammu instead of bridging the gap, the Directorate General of Fire and Emergency Services J&K recently recommended establishment of 59 more Fire Stations in Kashmir and only 30 in Jammu. Earlier, only four new Fire Service Stations were proposed for Jammu and the number was increased, though not brought at par with Kashmir, after a survey review as per norms of Standing Fire Advisory Council, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.
Sources recalled that the issue of step motherly treatment to Jammu was vociferously raised in 2007-8 during the then Ghulam Nabi Azad led Government, which initiated a move for separate Directorate to Jammu. However, the exercise remained limited to elevation of then Joint Director Jammu as Director Jammu and nothing changed in respect of infrastructure here.
It may be mentioned here that the Fire & Emergency Services, J&K, was established in the year 1893 as Srinagar Fire Brigade. The department was initially having five Fire Stations and 60 Firemen. The department was renamed as “Fire and Emergency Services, J&K” vide Govt. Order No.Home-196 (Fire) of 2004 dated 08.06.2004. Thus the sphere of the duties was also enhanced from rescue and fire fighting to disaster management.
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