Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
The town planning (TP) section of the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation (CSMC) through granting permission is encouraging the construction of buildings up to 70 meters in height. However, the CSMC’s fire brigade section sans state-of-the-art equipment to reach these high-rise buildings in case of emergency.
Adding to the woes, the municipal corporation, one year ago, had sent a proposal valuing Rs 36 crores to buy modern equipment and upgrade its system to the state government, but it is yet to be approved till today.
Under Natural Disaster Management, the CSMC fire brigade section has the responsibility of attending to complaints from the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna and Beed districts. For the last 10 years, the fire brigade section is placing a demand for modern equipment, but in vain. The CSMC is unable to fulfil the demand due to the paucity of funds in its exchequer.
In March 2022, the CSMC submitted a proposal of Rs 36 crore to the state’s Disaster Management Committee. It has planned to procure them after seeking approval and then make a provision in its budget. One year has passed to it, the file is still catching dust with the state government. Now, the municipal commissioner G Sreekanth is pursuing the proposal and he hopes of attracting funds for the same from the state government.
List of proposed modern equipment
Name- Quantity- Estimated Cost
Fire Tenders - 10 - Rs 9.98 crore
Rescue Tender - 01 - Rs 3.63 crore
Water Browsers - 03 - Rs 3.14 crore
Ladder (72 metres) - 01 - Rs 12.98 crore
DCP Tender - 01 - Rs 1.15 crore
Mini Water Fire Extinguishers - 03 - Rs 1.83 crore and
Boom Tower Pointer - 01 - Rs 3.36 crore.
Where are the heavyweights?
There are five MLAs of the Shinde group, out of which, two are cabinet ministers, in the district. Apart from this BJP has three MLAs, out of which, one is the cabinet minister. Despite having a plethora of influential public representatives, the CSMC is waiting for the approvals of many proposals and funds for them, in the last few years. It seems that they are not using their heavyweight. Moreover, it is also an issue that the municipal administration does not narrate its grievances before public representatives.