Lack of hydraulic ladder keeps firefighting operations in Ludhiana grounded
A network of waterpipes had to be laid to reach the burning fifth floor of the building, which is a cumbersome and time-consuming process. Despite fire incidents being reported at high rise buildings, the proposal to purchase hydraulic ladders has been hanging fire since 2008.
Ludhiana In the absence of hydraulic ladders, firefighters were seen struggling to douse the blaze that broke out at the Swami Vivekanand Vihar Flats in BRS Nagar on Thursday afternoon.
A network of waterpipes had to be laid to reach the burning fifth floor of the building, which is a cumbersome and time-consuming process. Despite fire incidents being reported at high rise buildings, the proposal to purchase hydraulic ladders has been hanging fire since 2008.
In December 2021, the civic body had given the nod for purchasing a 50m tall hydraulic ladder under the Smart City Mission, but a senior official, who wished to remain anonymous, said the order had been scrapped. In the meantime, the civic body’s dilly-dallying cost Swami Vivekanand Vihar Flats dear. “Had the flames been controlled quickly, there would not have been so much damage. However, the firefighters arrived on the spot an hour late, and they did not even have a hydraulic ladder. The fire that could have been contained in an hour took three hours to bring under control in the absence of a hydraulic ladder,” said Swami Vivekanand Flats Welfare Society secretary Vinay Gupta.
“The first fire tenders dispatched to the spot did not have a pressure gun. Firefighters had to request a fire tender with the gun installed on it , but even then, the stream ejected could not reach the flames on the fifth floor,” he said.
A fire official, requesting anonymity, said, “The municipal corporation only wakes up after a fire incident is reported. A proposal to purchase a hydraulic ladder was also made after the Surat coaching centre tragedy, but no lessons were learnt and the ground situation remains the same. The ladders will save firefighters’ effort and time and will make it easier to rescue trapped persons as we will not have to enter the building.”
Municipal corporation commissioner Shena Aggarwal, who only assumed the post in May, says she learnt of the non-availability of a hydraulic ladder after the blaze broke out in the fifth-floor of the building. “I have asked officials to present a proposal for the purchase of the hydraulic ladder,” she said.