Vikasa Soudha set to get own fire station
Karnataka will probably be the first state in the country to have a fire station on the secretariat premises. The fire station, to be set up at a cost of Rs 1.25 crore, will also serve safety needs of the Karnataka high court and MS Buildings.
The need for a fire station was felt many years ago. Our politicians and babus certainly don’t want to be caught in a raging Carlton. With safety on top of their minds, they are getting firefighters to their premises, the Vikasa Soudha, adjoining Vidhana Soudha. The fire station, to be set up at a cost of Rs 1.25 crore, will also serve safety needs of the Karnataka high court and MS Buildings.
With this project, Karnataka will probably be the first state in the country to have a fire station on the secretariat premises. And with Vikasa Soudha still not compliant with safety measures, a fire station there will calm jumpy nerves. Work on the fire station has already been tendered and entrusted to a contractor. The work, which started in the beginning of March, is expected to take a year’s time.
At present, in case of a fire in any of the top government buildings in the area, fire tenders have to rush in from High Grounds fire station. The home department has been pushing for this project for a while, and it was approved six months ago by a high power committee.
Though a fire station is being planned in its backyard, Vikasa Soudha is yet to obtain a safety clearance certificate from the department of fire and emergency. It lacks many safety measures, some as basic as fire alarms. This, in spite of the numerous communications sent from the department on the same.
“The need for a fire station was felt many years ago. We have seen many small fires in MS Buildings, even Vidhana Soudha. Now, the plan is being turned into a reality,’’ said B G Chengappa, director, department of fire and emergency. “The contractor has assured us that it will be completed in 10 months to a year. We are keen on having the work finished on time, and will closely monitor it,’’ said Chengappa.
Fire Safety, Karnataka High Court, Karnataka secretariat, Vikasa Soudha, Vikasa Soudha adjoining Vidhana Soudha, Vikasa Soudha set to get own fire station
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