LUCKNOW, June 9 -- Uttar Pradesh is set to establish a specialised rescue group (SRG) within the fire and emergency services department to strengthen its response to disasters and major emergencies. Announcing the initiative during a departmental review meeting on Monday, chief minister Yogi Adityanath said the new unit would be developed on the lines of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), with 240 personnel undergoing advanced training at institutions including NDRF, BSF, ITBP and CISF. The SRG will be equipped to handle complex rescue operations such as building collapses, floods, chemical accidents, high-angle rescues and confined-space emergencies. In the first phase, the specialised unit will be established in 10 districts. The chief minister also directed officials to ensure fire service coverage in every tehsil of the state and strengthen fire safety mechanisms in rapidly urbanising cities such as Noida, Ghaziabad, Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi and Prayagraj, where the growth of high-rise buildings has created new safety challenges. Officials informed the meeting that 326 permanent fire stations are currently operational in 296 of the state's 350 tehsils. While 26 new stations are ready for inauguration, construction of 25 others is underway and DPRs for 47 additional centres are being prepared. To enhance firefighting capabilities, the state plans to procure 10 hydraulic platforms with a reach of 102 metres, three of 90 metres and seven of 72 metres during 2026-27, along with 14 advanced firefighting vehicles capable of tackling emergencies in buildings up to 100 storeys high. The government said the number of fire stations has increased from 140 to 260 since 2017 and the fleet of fire vehicles going up from 750 to 1,660. Another 400 vehicles are in the procurement pipeline. Adityanath also called for regular fire audits of hospitals, hotels, schools, industrial units and high-rise buildings, while directing officials to further simplify and expedite the fire NOC process....