Rabindranath Biswas
Diglipur, July 31: Diglipur Merchant Association, has raised the issue of insufficient number of fire hydrants in Diglipur Bazaar area.
Talking to Andaman Sheekha Daily, the President of Diglipur Merchant Association, Mr. Amarendra Nath Halder said that the non-availability of fire hydrants in Bazaar area is proving to be a major factor in evading the losses inflicted by the incidents of fire, especially during dry season. At present there is merely one fire hydrant installed in Diglipur Bazaar and which is extremely insufficient for a big commercial area like Diglipur Bazaar, as the Diglipur Bazaar has significantly expanded in terms of its area over the last few years. Besides, there are residential houses, congested structures located in the inner part and on the periphery of Diglipur Bazaar. As such, the installation of sufficient number of fire hydrants at the desired locations in Diglipur Bazaar area is extremely essential, Mr. Halder emphasized.
The President, Diglipur Merchant Association further said that he had already approached the Assistant Commissioner with a representation and apprised him of the necessity of the installation of fire hydrants at the desired locations in Diglipur Bazaar area. The Assistant Commissioner heard the grievance submitted by Mr. Halder and then he reportedly forwarded the letter to the concerned higher Officials of the Fire Service for further course of action, Mr. Halder said. However, no fire hydrant has been installed in Diglipur Bazaar as yet, the DMA President further said. “I have seen no positive response from the concerned Department to facilitate its installation so far” alleged Mr. Halder.
The President, Diglipur Merchant Association further said that during a fire incident, once a fire tender is exhausted of water, it takes a lot of time to approach a water source and till that time, damage caused by the fire is massive. Hence, he has urged the Administration for early installation of the fire hydrants at the desired locations in Diglipur Bazaar area on a priority basis.
“Recently, we saw a massive blaze at Electricity Barracks behind STS Garage, Sitanagar a couple of days ago. The fire left 7 houses completely gutted. Had a fire hydrant been available in the near vicinity, the loss could have been minimized,” opined the general public of Diglipur Bazaar.