Bhubaneswar: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has exposed the absence of a comprehensive plan to revamp fire service in the state at a time when the state government boasts of making close to 300 fire stations operational by 2016-end.
The CAG, in its general and social sector report for March 2016, has stated that although the state has sanctioned 335 fire stations and made 296 fire stations functional by 2016 end, Orissa still falls short of 505 stations.
The CAG report said the state decided in October 2010 to open fire stations in all uncovered blocks by 2014 and take advance action to identify land for development of infrastructure for these stations. Subsequently, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) issued guidelines to states to assess manpower, equipment and fire stations taking into consideration the states’ vulnerabilities, classifications of hazardous industries in rural and urban areas as per the norms set up by Standing Fire Advisory Council (SFAC) and plans for funding.
“SFAC and NDMA guidelines suggested fire stations on the basis of population, area and forest covers i.e. one fire station for 50,000 population or for 50sq km area in rural areas and 10.36sq km in urban areas. Based on NDMA norms, the state needed 840 fire stations,” the CAG said.
It said at the time of NDMA recommendation, the state had 180 fire stations and there was a shortage of 660 FSs.
Against this, the CAG said, the government sanctioned 155 new FSs in 2012-16 taking the tally to 335. Of the 335 fire stations sanctioned, 290 had been made functional as of March 2016 and later, six more stations were made functional by November 2016.
“No step was taken to identify areas vulnerable to fire and make good the shortfall in fire stations as well as deficiencies in existing fire stations to match the SFAC and NDMA norms,” the auditor pointed out.
Further the database on hazardous industries was not prepared. “As such, no comprehensive plan was prepared to revamp state’s fire service and setting up of new stations as per SFAC norms in a phased manner.”
The CAG said due to inadequate number of fire stations, 40 out of 45 test-checked fire stations had to cover area ranging from 100sq km to more than 500sq km. “This adversely affected the operational efficiency of the fire service,” it added.
Lashing out at the government, the CAG said, “The department in November 2016 stated that fire stations were being set up as per criteria fixed by the government in April 1993 and December 1998. The fact, however, remained that the criteria, so fixed, had not been reviewed after issue of guidelines by NDMA.”
The CAG, however, said the government has assured vulnerable should be identified and database of hazardous units maintained.
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