Andhra Pradesh fire department seeks 750 crore from Centre for its modernisation

Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh government has sought Rs 750 crore from the Centre for modernisation of its fire department and state disaster relief force, a senior official said.

The state government has submitted a memorandum in this regard to the 14th Finance Commission, AP Director General Fire Services, N Sambasiva Rao said on Thursday.

He said there was an urgent need to modernise the fire and disaster relief departments by procuring latest equipment to meet the challenges of natural and man-made disasters.

At the same time, the staff also has to be trained according to the changing conditions and also to tackle the emergencies with latest equipment, he said.

At present, the state has 178 fire stations and about 38 assembly segments, out of the total 175, do not have a fire service station.

The government has proposed to set up fire stations in 38 Assembly segments in a phased manner, Rao said.

The department has also proposed to procure 54-metre tall ladders to take up rescue operations during fire in high-rise buildings of urban areas, he said.

Meanwhile, the new building of fire services department, constructed at a cost of Rs 3 crore, will be inaugurated here this evening by state Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, he said.