Meanwhile, the watchman has been suspended for possible dereliction of duty. While only a final inquiry will tell the extent of damage, there are indications that only old records pertaining to decided cases may have been destroyed. Contrary to initial reports, rare documents relating to the historic trial of Mahatama Gandhi's assassination, are reportedly safe. Last Friday's fire in the High Court is the second major fire and brings out the lack of adequate fire safety measures within the complex.

This was not an isolated incident; this year alone, there have been five major incidents of fire in and around the city. Only three days before the High Court fire, nearly 75 shops were gutted in a fire in one of SAS Nagar's rehri markets. In another fire in March, a couple of shops in Panchkula were destroyed. In yet another blaze, three residents of Maloya village sustained burns. The fire in a foam factory in Ram Darbar in January is reported to have caused monetary loss to the tune of Rs 1 crore. Besides, there have been numerous small incidents of fire in and around the Union Territory. Needless to say the fire-fighting capabilities in other places in the region are worse. Every year, fire in Himachal Pradesh denudes the hills of valuable forest cover.

A quick survey by Express-Chandigarh Newsline brought out how poorly equipped Chandigarh and its surrounding areas of Panchkula and SAS Nagar are. Two fire tenders and a 17-member work force serve the whole of Panchkula district. For the whole of Roopnagar district, of which SAS Nagar is a part, there are two fire tenders with a staff strength of nine. At both places, the fire-fighting equipment is inadequate. In comparison, the Union Territory is far better equipped. It has 13 fire engines and a staff strength of 250.

But, like other places, most of the fire-fighters are far from physically fit and many of them are nearing retirement age. To avoid valuable assets turning into ashes, the government should fix minimum norms for equipment and manpower for every fire station. Since fire stations are called upon to handle all kinds of situations, they should be equipped with the latest multiple fire tenders and protective gear. Reports that the UT Municipal Council is planning to acquire new equipment, including a hydraulic platform to carry fire-fighters to upper storeys, is heartening. At the same time, officials will have to be more strict. A large number of unsafe buildings have been served notices but no building owner has been punished and few, if any, asked to close down a premises on this account. Fire-fighting is a serious business and no one should be allowed to play with it.