Noida, April 30 -- Even as high-rise towers continue to rise across Noida's skyline, the city's firefighting capacity appears to be tethered to a far lower height. With more than 1,500 high-rises exceeding eight floors and over 1,000 medium-rise buildings, the Gautam Budh Nagar Fire Department is operating with just four hydraulic platforms - the tallest of which can reach only 42 metres, or roughly 14 floors - exposing a gap in emergency preparedness.

The limitation came into focus on Wednesday when one of these 42-metre platforms had to be rushed to Ghaziabad to assist in dousing a high-rise blaze, underscoring the scarcity of such critical equipment.

Fire officials acknowledge the shortfall. "We have only four hydraulic platforms as ...