Singhat : Fire station in no position to fight major fire
Source: Hueiyen News Service / N Sanajaoba Meetei

Imphal, November 15 2011: In case of an incident of fire in Singhat village of Churachandpur district, the fire services could do nothing but watch, for the Fire Service Department there is only in name sake.

The Singhat village is located 32 kms to the south of Churachandpur district headquarters.

Apart from the fact that the lone fire tender can load only 2000 litres of water, there are only six employees including two ASIs, two firemen and two drivers to man the sub-station.

But there is no separate office or quarters for these employees.

At present, the office of the sub-station is being operated from a run-down bungalow of the PWD while the quarters from a rented outhouse of the village chief and the garage is no better than a makeshift shed.

One Mufijuddin, who is the leading fireman in the sub-station, informed that with exception of a fire tender which is always kept loaded with 2000 litres of water, there is no other arrangement for fire fighting in the sub-station.

In case of fire when the water gets exhausted while trying to extinguish the fire, the staffs have to run and fetch water from a gorge situated 3 kms below the site where the sub-station stands.

In such a situation, putting out fire of great magnitude is out of the question.

There are also no communication equipments for contacting other fire sub-stations for assistance in the sub-station of Singhat, as the same have been withdrawn in view of fluid law and order situation.

Let with no other options, the staffs have to rely on the BSNL mobile service.

But here again, uninterrupted mobile connectivity is something of a luxury in this god-forsaken corner of Churachandpur.

Mufijuddin further informed that numerous proposals have been submitted to the authorities concerned for construction of office building and quarters of the Singhat fire sub-station.

But so far no construction works have been ever started.

On October 23 last, Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh had announced sanctioning of 15 fire tenders and 9 Rapid Response Vehicles for distribution among 16 sub-stations.

But Singhat sub-station did not receive anything as there is no separate building of its own, Mufijuddin added.

Chief of Singhat village Houkhulen Munluo observed that the villagers could never dream of getting any benefit from the existing fire sub-station.

"Most of the houses are constructed with woods and roofed with reeds.

But what can 2000 of litres can do in case of an outbreak of a major fire?", the village chief questioned dejectedly.

Recalling the 1986 fire incident that Singhat Bazar that burnt down 60 houses to ciders and killed three persons, the village chief informed that as the existing fire sub-station could do nothing, additional fire tenders have to be requisitioned from Churachandpur to control that the raging inferno.

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