3 days ago
After 10 years of delay, Pimpri Chinchwad civic body moves to set up fire station in Bhosari MIDC
Pune: The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation has floated a tender to set up a dedicated fire station in Bhosari MIDC, more than a decade after local industries put forward a demand and consistently followed up with authorities.
A senior civic official said the project, as per tender amount, will cost around Rs22 crore and it will be completed within two years of a work order being issued. "The tender was floated on May 19. We have received bids from five companies and they will be opened in a day or two."
Currently, PCMC relies on Sant Tukaramnagar fire station or Tata Motors' Pimpri unit in the event of a blaze in industrial units. The new fire station will come up on a 4,000 square meter plot allocated by MIDC (Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation) to the civic body.
Other than advanced machinery specifically designed to tackle industrial fires, the facility will have staff quarters and a parking lot for fire vehicles.
Sandeep Belsare, president of Pimpri Chinchwad Small Industries Association, said that more than 3,800 units legally operate across the twin cities. "We pursued the demand of an exclusive fire station with almost every industries minister since 2010, but only received assurances."
Nearly 15% to 20% of the industries in Pimpri Chinchwad deal in polymers and chemicals — materials that pose a higher fire risk, he said. "Two years ago, the industries minister, Uday Samant, assured us that the officials concerned were instructed to complete the formalities to set up a fire station within a year, but no concrete action followed. Now that PCMC has initiated the tendering process, we hope it is carried through.
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An official from PCMC's fire brigade department said while some existing fire stations possess advanced machinery to handle industrial fires, the new facility will allow the deployment of more advanced equipment and skilled manpower. "The responsibility to set up such a facility lies with MIDC, which issues NoCs and collects related charges from industries. However, PCMC has now taken up the initiative to proceed on its own.
"
PCMC faces a shortage of firefighting personnel. Earlier this year, it began the process to recruit 150 firefighters, but the drive is yet to be completed. The addition of a new fire station is expected to further burdern the department's available manpower, officials said.
Pune: The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation has floated a tender to set up a dedicated fire station in Bhosari MIDC, more than a decade after local industries put forward a demand and consistently followed up with authorities.
A senior civic official said the project, as per tender amount, will cost around Rs22 crore and it will be completed within two years of a work order being issued. "The tender was floated on May 19. We have received bids from five companies and they will be opened in a day or two."
Currently, PCMC relies on Sant Tukaramnagar fire station or Tata Motors' Pimpri unit in the event of a blaze in industrial units. The new fire station will come up on a 4,000 square meter plot allocated by MIDC (Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation) to the civic body.
Other than advanced machinery specifically designed to tackle industrial fires, the facility will have staff quarters and a parking lot for fire vehicles.
Sandeep Belsare, president of Pimpri Chinchwad Small Industries Association, said that more than 3,800 units legally operate across the twin cities. "We pursued the demand of an exclusive fire station with almost every industries minister since 2010, but only received assurances."
Nearly 15% to 20% of the industries in Pimpri Chinchwad deal in polymers and chemicals — materials that pose a higher fire risk, he said. "Two years ago, the industries minister, Uday Samant, assured us that the officials concerned were instructed to complete the formalities to set up a fire station within a year, but no concrete action followed. Now that PCMC has initiated the tendering process, we hope it is carried through.
"
An official from PCMC's fire brigade department said while some existing fire stations possess advanced machinery to handle industrial fires, the new facility will allow the deployment of more advanced equipment and skilled manpower. "The responsibility to set up such a facility lies with MIDC, which issues NoCs and collects related charges from industries. However, PCMC has now taken up the initiative to proceed on its own.
"
PCMC faces a shortage of firefighting personnel. Earlier this year, it began the process to recruit 150 firefighters, but the drive is yet to be completed. The addition of a new fire station is expected to further burdern the department's available manpower, officials said.
