Around 2,900 fire audits have been conducted in 2024 so far, says Min

Kolkata: State Fire and Emergency Services minister Sujit Bose on Tuesday said that around 2,900 fire audits have taken place in 2024 so far and surveillance was on to check if any shop owners orchestrated a fire incident before the year ended to seek insurance claims.

The minister pointed out that there were some complaints that surfaced in this regard.

He added that the state government was planning to introduce drones for fire-fighting operations.

“The state government was planning to gradually introduce 10 drones for fire-fighting operations,” he said.

The minister added that in 2023, around 3,461 fire audits were carried out throughout the state.

Bose once again said that 55 new fire stations have been set up in the state after the Mamata Banerjee government came to power in 2011 taking the total number of fire stations to 164 in 2024 from what stood at 109 in 2011, the minister added.

The fire minister also told reporters inside the Assembly premises that many new fire stations have been set up across the state on a priority basis.

These stations are coming up at Tarapith, Banarhat, Itahar, Kalimpong, Gorubathan and Darjeeling.

A new fire station is also coming up in Jangipur in Murshidabad.

The department is procuring 6 more ladders of 68/55/50 meters, the minister added.

The fire services department of West Bengal is carrying out a major infrastructure upgrade with an allocation of Rs 376 crore from the 15th Finance Commission, Bose had recently said in north Bengal. A significant portion of the funds will be used to upgrade fire station infrastructure and procure new machinery, including vehicles, the minister said.

Meanwhile, the department has a plan to purchase at least 75 vehicles equipped with water tanks ranging from 2,500 to 14,000 litres.

These vehicles, along with fire extinguisher engines, will be distributed among existing fire stations. Out of 164 fire stations in Bengal, around 40 are located in eight districts of north Bengal.