New fire trucks parked safely, while Ludhiana burns

Time of India

27-04-2025

Ludhiana: As fire incidents spike with the arrival of summer, Ludhiana's fire brigade faces a dire shortage of operational fire tenders and staff — despite having two brand-new fire trucks parked unused for months.
The Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) purchased two fire tenders for the newly inaugurated
Tajpur Road fire station
. Yet the vehicles have been stationed at the Focal Point fire station since Feb, unused and without registration numbers. While fire officials blame the lack of registrations, sources said the real reason is political wrangling over who should preside over an official flag-off ceremony.
Delays and Political Deadlock
The Tajpur Road fire station was first proposed in Dec 2021, when the foundation stone was laid ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections. However, a change in govt and ongoing vigilance inquiries slowed progress. The station was eventually inaugurated on Feb 1 this year. In anticipation, the LIT had purchased two fire tenders a year earlier: a larger vehicle with a 5,200-litre capacity and a smaller one with a 3,000-litre capacity.
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Fire department officials, requesting anonymity, said the tenders have not been deployed because political leaders are locked in a dispute over the inauguration event. Without registration plates, the vehicles cannot legally operate on city roads. LIT chairman Tarsem Bhinder disputed this version, insisting that the fire brigade is free to use the tenders immediately and that a formal inauguration could take place later. "There is no condition that the inauguration must happen first," he said.
Staff Shortages Compound Crisis
Separately, one of the
new fire tenders
has been temporarily stationed at the Jalandhar bypass to cover the Bahadur K Road area, on the directions of Aam Aadmi Party's Ludhiana West assembly byelection candidate and Rajya Sabha member Sanjeev Arora. Firefighters, however, have raised concerns, warning that staffing shortages already burden the department and reallocating personnel could further weaken their emergency response capacity.
Infrastructure Deficiencies
Beyond the shortage of vehicles and manpower, officials said critical firefighting supplies are depleted. Foam used to extinguish chemical fires ran out after a recent blaze at the 66kV power station at Tajpur Road, and many hoses are in poor condition. Without replenishment, the availability of new fire tenders alone offers little improvement, they said.
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LPG blast in Labour Colony
A fire broke out Sunday evening following an LPG cylinder explosion at a home in Labour Colony (Gali No. 6), Jawahar Nagar Camp. Fortunately, no one was inside the house at the time, and no casualties were reported. However, the home suffered significant damage, with the ceiling collapsing and several appliances destroyed. The blaze occurred around 5 pm. In response, Rajya Sabha MP and AAP's Ludhiana West assembly seat candidate Sanjeev Arora announced ₹2 lakh in compensation for the affected family.
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