Shopian residents demand upgradation of fire and emergency infrastructure
Shopian: The residents of Shopian district have raised concerns over the inadequacy of fire and emergency services, urging the administration to enhance the district’s infrastructure.
The residents of the Shopian distric said that currently, there are only two fire and emergency stations in the district — one in Shopian town and the other in Zainapora but they are unable to cater the whole district.
Mansoor Ahmed Magray, a local social activist said that Ramnagri, Kapren, Harmain, Keller areas are very far the district headquarters as it takes around one hour for the vehicle from district headquarter to reach these places
He said that until fire and emergency vehicles reach these areas till then property worth crores is reduced to ashes.
“This limited coverage is proving insufficient to cater to the needs of over 300 villages spread across the district,” he said.
Mitha Gatoo, another social activist said that considering the growing population and rapid urbanization in the area, there is need for more fire and emergency stations in the district.
“In the event of an emergency, the existing infrastructure is often unable to respond promptly to remote areas, resulting in delayed response times and increased risk to lives and property.” He said.
Many other residents said that the existing stations are not only understaffed but also lack modern equipment to handle larger fires or more complex rescue operations.
They added that they have demanded for more stations and better resources for a long time, but nothing has been done as of now despite the increase in fire incidents.
“The two existing fire stations cannot effectively serve the entire district, especially during peak hours when multiple emergencies occur simultaneously. We need at least five more stations spread across different parts of Shopian to ensure faster response times,” they added.
Residents have requested local authorities to prioritize the expansion of fire infrastructure in the district.
They have also requested the deployment of more trained personnel and the acquisition of state-of-the-art fire fighting equipment.
They have sought the attention of MLA Shopian and Deputy Commissioner Shopian in this regard.
