Fire Safety Norms Ignored in Karimnagar, Warangal
The fire departments in several districts are grappling with severe staff shortages and inadequate infrastructure.
Warangal: Fire accidents during summer months continue to claim lives and destroy property worth crores in the erstwhile Karimnagar and Warangal districts. The causes range from short circuits and gas cylinder explosions to dry grass catching fire in huts and agricultural fields.
Despite the rising threat, numerous buildings across the two districts—including apartments, hospitals, hotels, shopping malls, educational institutions, cinema theatres and function halls—continue to flout basic fire safety norms. Many operate without installing essential fire prevention systems, posing a grave risk to public safety.
As per government regulations, such establishments must obtain clearance and adhere to fire safety guidelines issued by the fire department and other concerned authorities. However, many continue to operate without these permissions, allegedly using political influence to bypass enforcement.
Karimnagar district fire officer M. Srinivas Reddy told Deccan Chronicle that his department regularly conducts awareness programmes and mock drills to prepare residents for emergencies. Inspections are being carried out across various establishments and suggestions are being issued for installing modern equipment capable of detecting smoke and fire at early stages.
Meanwhile, the fire departments in several districts are grappling with severe staff shortages and inadequate infrastructure. In Rajanna Sircilla district, there are only two fire stations—one at Sircilla and another at Vemulawada. The post of chief fire officer remains vacant. In Sircilla, six fireman posts (including constables) and one driver post are unfilled, while in Vemulawada, two driver posts and six fireman posts remain vacant.
Adding to the woes, the Sircilla fire station faces an acute water shortage. It relies on a single borewell sufficient only for staff needs, forcing officials to depend on private borewells to refill fire tenders.
In the past year, Sircilla fire station responded to 45 fire calls, saving property worth Rs 6.42 crore, while property worth Rs 51.5 lakh was damaged. Vemulawada fire station received 37 calls, saving property worth Rs 1.04 crore, with losses amounting to Rs 15.76 lakh.
In Jangaon district, there are three fire stations located at Jangaon town, Station Ghanpur and Palakurthy. Each station is supposed to have 16 personnel, including one fire officer, two leading firemen, three drivers and ten constables. However, Jangaon fire station has only 10 personnel, Station Ghanpur has seven and Palakurthy has 11.
Due to this staff crunch, reaching remote areas 30 to 40 km from the fire stations during emergencies has become a major challenge. Palakurthy station fire officer C. H. Ramulu told Deccan Chronicle that despite limited staff, they are doing their best to provide quality services and undertake preventive measures.
He said notices have been issued to ginning mills, function halls, large shopping malls and godown owners, instructing them to install proper fire safety equipment and warning them of strict action if they continue to violate norms and endanger lives.
