JOIN USApathy mars fire station at Gonikoppa
The station personnel are facing problems everyday. For the last one-and-half-years, the station is functioning in Orange Co-operative Society’s vehicle shed. And, there is no infrastructure in the shed. Owing to the negligence of the government and local elected representatives, the station is yet to get any basic facilities.
The fire service station is functioning one kilometre away from town. In fact, the office, kitchen and rest room are functioning in one single room. The room is also filled with dress, shoes and other materials. Fire service personnel do not have a room to change their dress as well.
The personnel sleep on the space where vehicles are parked. The place do not have doors. Rain water, frogs, rats have become their daily visitors. In search of rats and frogs, even snakes pay visit to the station. We do not get proper sleep owing to the snakes. So far, we have killed 20 snakes,” say fire service personnel.
A room where insecticides and biolers were stored have been given as rest rooms. The room is a mini pool owing to the leakage. Pipes worth Rs 25 lakh which are used for dousing fire are kept in one corner of the same room.
Moreover, there is no strong room to keep fire extinguishing solution and oxygen masks. There is no proper toilets and bathrooms too.
A building where toilet is situated is on the verge of collapse, said a personnel. The registration book, entry book and other valuable documents of the station are kept open on the table. Inspite of all these problems, the officials are yet to wake up from their deep slumber.
“We need a land of 0.20 acre to park our fire extinguishing vehicle. However, no one is ready to sell their land in Gonikoppal for government rates.”
Recently, Fire Service and Home Guards DGP Jeeja Harisingh visited Kodagu. She had directed the concerned to provide suitable land for the station to provide infrastructure to construct a state-of-the art station.
Though the direction reached concerned around three months ago, no progress has been made so far. In this backdrop, there is a plan to shift the fire service station to Madikeri. If the Rs 2.50 crore fund released by the government to construct fire service station failed to be utilised by March, then the fund will return back to government. If the station is shifted, then the dream of fire service station to South Kodagu will never be realised.