Kolkata: The state government has decided to set up West Bengal Fire and Emergency Services Welfare Board.
The board will be recommending work that needs to be carried out to put forth better facilities for the employees of the West Bengal Fire and Emergency Services department.
There is a welfare board for the police as well and now there will be a welfare board for the employees of the West Bengal Fire and Emergency Services department.
The state Fire minister, Firhad Hakim, announced the decision of the state government with regard to the setting up of the welfare board after the cabinet meeting at Nabanna on Friday. He said: "Fire fighters work day and night and most importantly they risk their lives to save others. Hence, in a bid to ensure a better living for them the state government has decided to approve the setting up of the welfare board."
He further said the welfare board will be recommending what can be done for better living of the employees of the department and subsequently, the department will be taking the next course of action.
Besides the central level welfare board, there will be separate boards for districts. Director General of Fire Services will be the chairman of the central level board with maintenance superintendents, station officers, chief mobilisation officers, fire operators and drivers of fire tenders will be the members of the board.
It may be mentioned that the state government has taken a series of steps in the past seven years to improve the infrastructure to ensure better fire fighting. Since pre-independence to 2011 as many as 100 fire stations had come up in the state and in the past seven years, 41 fire stations have come up in Bengal and around 20 are under construction. Moreover, the process of setting up another 41 is also going on.