Kolkata, Sept. 23 -- West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced the phased recruitment of 4,000 personnel to upgrade and modernise the state's fire service department.
On Wednesday, he inaugurated 226 new fire tenders and firefighting equipment at a programme on Red Road.
The CM thanked the firefighters who saved 80 lives at Tarapith and 30 at New Market. He said those who saved
lives would be rewarded.
The CM said: "Hotel authorities had locked the gates, preventing guests from leaving at dawn, effectively turning the premises into a death trap. No one died from burns in those two incidents; the fatalities were caused by suffocation due to smoke." He thanked DG (Fire) Anuj Sharma for his efforts.
Adhikari stated that the state fire service would be developed into a skilled and disciplined force, akin to the police. He alleged that the previous government had recruited contractual staff for the fire service.
The new government will fill 1,400 vacant posts; this includes the recruitment of 1,000 fire operators, 325 fire engine operator-cum-drivers, and 75 sub-officers. Additionally, another 2,500 permanent posts will be created in the fire service department within the next year. The CM informed that these vacancies would be filled through the Police
Recruitment Board.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.