The devastating fire that reportedly gutted nearly 20 houses in Tachna village of the Dachhan area in Kishtwar has once again posed a serious question that lessons have not been learned yet by the stakeholders as cases of fire incidents both at business establishments and in residential areas have remained a common sight across the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
In this inferno reported from Kishtwar District, many families have been rendered homeless. Going by frequent fire incidents being reported from various parts of the UT especially in winter months, it is the right time that the government and the people should understand the seriousness of the issue and take appropriate steps and precautions to stop such incidents as far as possible.
Another important issue, which seems to be undermined by the concerned authorities, is the feasibility regarding fire tenders reaching all the places vulnerable to fire incidents because in the aforementioned case also the situation was compounded by the area’s difficult terrain, dilapidated road connectivity, and poor access, resulting in delayed arrival of fire tenders at the spot.
It is necessary that local Fire and Emergency Services authorities should conduct the audit of all localities and places falling under their jurisdiction to make sure that no place remains out of reach in case of fire or any other emergency. There is another point which is seldom taken care of in Jammu and Kashmir, and that is the stipulated time taken by fire tenders to reach any place falling in their respective jurisdictions.
It is the time that the concerned department should take a cue and emulate the working of similar departments in other parts of the world which have stipulated 2 to 5 minutes for reaching the fire incident site after getting a call. Although this is difficult for a place like J&K but working diligently over the issue better timings could be achieved like 15 minutes or less for fire tenders to reach the fire affected sites. This is vital for saving lives and property across J&K where wood forms the basis of several kinds of edifices including homes and business establishments especially in mountainous regions.
All said and done, one can conclude that taking precautions is significant for preventing fire incidents and in case such an emergency becomes inevitable the government needs to act fast and meaningfully. There is no fun in sending fire tenders to the places with fire incidents after things have been perished and lives consumed therefore it is important for the government to gird up loins and remain prepared for tackling any kind of emergency with regard to fire incidents in J&K full throttle.
