Hyper Local
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2011
Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities
4
City can’t tackle towering inferno Fire department has only three hydraulic platforms with a reach up to 10-14 floors. With mushrooming high-rises of 20-plus floors, disaster lurks around the corner Inkeshaf ahmed
Funds required to build new fire service stations
Ahmed.m@postnoon.com
`100 crore
HYDERABAD: The fire mishap at a corporate hospital, which killed more than 90 people in Kolkata on Friday, has led many to introspect on the issue of ‘How safe Hyderabadis are when it comes to fire accidents. The most important question being raised is that whether the State-owned ‘Fire’ is fully equipped to cater to the needs of about 8 million population of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation. Postnoon did a reality check. The investigation has revealed a shocking fact, that the department is ill-equipped when it comes to meeting the increasing demands of City. In the last decade, the City has witnessed exponential growth thanks to booming IT and pharma sectors. The growth in these sectors also catapulted the growth of reality sector and led to construction of high-rise buildings. The City now boasts of many of these high rise buildings consisting of 20 to 35 floors. But the fire service department illequipped to deal with fire mishaps which take place in such high-rises.
Manpower requirements
450
Status of Fire Service Department According to existing rules and guidelines of the fire service department, There should be one fire station for every two lakh population. This means that for a population of 80 lakh, the GHMC should have 40 fire station in its limits. But the reality is that there are only 14 fire stations available in the corporation limits. Ironically, these service stations, apart from serving the requirements of GHMC, also serve the needs of adjacent areas of Medak and Ranga Reddy districts. Interesting thing to note
Helpline GAS BOOKING IVRS NO: HP 9666023456 Indane 9848824365 BSNL Complaints HMWS & SB Complaints
198 155313
POLICE CONTROL ROOM: Hyderabad 27852435 Traffic Control Room 27852482 DCP Traffic 23234065, 23243499F Pollution Control Board 23887500 ELECTRICITY: General Complaints Breakdown Section
155333 23431178 23431179 Street Light 155304 MUNICIPAL CORPORATION:
SPECIAL here is that the most important critical points like AP Secretariat, the nerve centre of State government, AP Assembly, AP High Court, the famous Salarjung Museum do not have full fledged
Commissioner & Spl Officer 23262266 24166666R ENC 23225267 Engineering 23220418 MCH Tankbund 23225397 Emergency MCH Circle I&II 24525842 MCH Circle III 24736912 MCH Circle IV 23326975 MCH Circle V 23326976 MCH Circle VI MCH Complaints 1100 Head Office 23225397 IVRS CUM MANUAL ENQUIRY PHONE NUMBERS (TRAIN & RESERVATION) RAILWAYS Rail Nilayam 27833150 Railway Information 131 Reservations 135 Recorded Information 1345 Enquiry (IVRS) 1331, 1332, 1333
fire service stations. According to the officials of the fire department, the government has recently sanctioned full fledged fire stations at these points sans funds. The officials of the department are wondering how can they construct the buildings and procure fire tenders and other equipments like ladders and hydraulic platforms without government support.
WATER SUPPLY: Complaint Cell Sewerage Complaint Hyd. Water Supply HOSPITAL: General Hospital, Sec-bad Niloufer Hospital, Red Hills NIMS, Director, Punjagutta Osmania General Hospital Railway Hospital, Lalaguda Apollo, Jubilee Hills Care Hospital, Banjara Hills Care Hospital, Nampally Care Hospitals, Musheerabad Care Hospital, Sec-bad Kamineni Hospital,
LB Nagar 155313 23307328 23313163 27505566 23314095 23390933 24600146 27001134 23607777 30418888 30417777 30419000 30416666
BLOOD BANKS: Blood Bank,Narayaguda Chiranjeevi Blood Bank Blood Bank Mediton Goal Red Cross, Vidyanagar ADRM Blood Bank Mythri Charitable Trust NTR Memorial Trust Care Banjara Hills
Critical Points AP Secretariat AP Assembly Salarjung Museum AP High Court High-rise buildings like Lanco Hills, Loadha Constructions “The government has asked us to avail funds from the 13th
39879999 27567892 23559555 23226624 27633087 27035588 27550238 30799999 30418296 30417445
AMBULANCES Apollo 23548888, 23607777 Kamineni 24022222 Medwin 23202902, 23204616 Smile Line Dental Hospital 23747979 Red Cross 27627973 Niloufer Hospital 23314095 Gandhi 23320332
finance commission allocations to GHMC to undertake the construction of buildings and procurement of equipment. But we are yet to receive it,” additional director of fire service department Jayaram Naik told Postnoon. According to Naik, they have put up proposals to set up 10 new fire service centres in GHMC Limits. He further adds that the department at least require `10 crore each for setting a complete fire station with modern equipment. When it comes to infrastructure, the department do not have adequate equipment. The department presently has three hydraulic platforms of 30 and 54 metres respectively. These platforms can be used only for buildings having 10-14 floors. The department does not have resources to handle fire mishaps in buildings of beyond this limit and does not also have funds to procure hydraulic platforms of 100 metres. Apart from this problem, the department is also suffering from manpower crunch. According to rules every fire service station should have 45 personnel but the reality is different. Each fire service station has a manpower of 10-15 personnel. The State government has allowed the department to recruit firemen only recently. Jayaram Naik says that recent recruitment of personnel would help them to some extent only.
AIRLINES Airport Director 27903785, 27906001 For Air India Flight Information Toll free (from any network) for IC Flights 18001801407 And for All Flights: 1800227722 Air India has revised its flight timings. For more information call (Toll free) 18001801407, 1800227722 from BSNL/MTNL 04023430334 from other lines and mobile Website; www.airindia.in TOURISM OFFICES AP Tourism, Hyd 23262152/53/54 Sec’bad 27893100 Dept of Tourism 23453110 India Tourism 23261360 AP Tourism information Centre (24x7) 23450444, 23455999 UK Visa Office
VFS India Pvt Ltd Building, 8-2-542/A, Sunil Chamber, Road No. 7 Beside Meridian School, Banjara Hills34. Working hours are from 8 AM to 1 PM And 2 PM to 3PM. MUSEUMS Salar Jung Museum AP State Museum Nizams Museum
24523211 232431300/7641 24521029
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