Raj Sadosh
Abohar, November 26
The staff at the fire station building here fear the building might collapse anytime as its condition has deteriorated over the years.
According to them, layers of cement are falling from the roof of the building and there is the threat of the roof collapse.
Three months back, the staff of the Rehabilitation Centre in the Civil Hospital had shifted to the OPD in fear of a similar threat. Despite that, the PWD is still processing proposals for a major repair work.
A source in the Municipal Corporation (MC) said the fire station building was constructed in 1978 and no major repair work had been carried out in the past few years.
MC Commissioner Abhijeet Kaplish had proposed to shift the fire brigade to a new building, but since his transfer on April 25, the post has been vacant and that has adversely affected the development work.
Till 2016, the fire station had a single operational vehicle, which was also in a bad condition. This was brought to the notice of Punjab and Haryana High Court through a writ petition by then Leader of the Opposition Sunil Jakhar.
During the hearing of the petition in November 2017, the state government representative had stated that Rs 45 lakh had been sanctioned to provide fire tenders to MCs in the state. The Abohar MC then got two new vehicles, but had no funds for renovating the building.
Mayor Vimal Thatai said all old buildings located in the old water works area were to be abandoned as per the master plan and the fire station will be shifted to the Abha Square, which was being developed in the same area.
