The request from city residents and traders to set up a temporary fire station till the completion of a new building for the Kozhikode Beach station is yet to be considered by the Department of Finance. It has been pending for over eight months even after a corporate firm came forward to hand over around 40 cents for setting up the temporary facility.
Leaders of various merchant organisations and functionaries of the Malabar Development Council (MDC) pointed out that the redeployment of fire service personnel from the Beach station had severely affected the fast service delivery of the force during emergency situations. Rescue squads from distant stations such as Meenchanda and Vellimadukunnu would not be able to reach the city quickly, and it increased the risk factor, they added.
According to MDC members, memorandums had already been submitted to the Chief Minister and the other authorities citing the necessity of setting up a fire station in the heart of the city. “What we now seek is the government’s immediate support for setting up a temporary firefighting facility in the wake of the searing summer season and chances of fire outbreaks,” they said.
