With just 7 fire engines and 50 fire officials in Faridabad, and 14 fire engines and 23 fire officials in Gurgaon, the two cities in the Capital’s neighbourhood are especially vulnerable ahead of Diwali, when fire-related accidents shoot up every year.

While the fire stations continue to stay under-staffed and poorly equipped, the authorities concerned prefer to look the other way.

In the case of fires, rather than the government’s fire department, people are compelled to depend upon industrial units like Maruti or Hero Honda or turn to the local Air Force base in Gurgaon. All of them have their own fire departments.

Other big corporates and mall owners have also installed the latest fire-safety equipment and trained their staff to use them. Private security agencies have also started training personnel in tackling fires.

“We have to train our staff to tackle any fire-related issue so that they can do the basic fire-fighting before fire officials arrive. With chaotic traffic, it takes a lot of time to travel from fire stations to the affected location,” said Ram Prasad, proprietor of Umaria Corporate Services, which provides security to offices, factories and homes.

Gurgaon district fire officer Hanuman Sihag said that in view of Diwali, they had requested the owners of buildings to ensure fire safety. “The entire fire staff should not be given holiday on Diwali. Windows of flats in high-rise buildings should be kept closed and proper care should be taken in installing lighting and other electrical equipment for the festival,” he maintained.

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