Picture used for representative purpose only
The issue of absence of a fire station in Crossings Republik, a residential township in Ghaziabad, took a new turn recently. AR Sharma, the chief fire officer (CFO) of Ghaziabad wrote to the district magistrate about the unavailability of land for the construction of a fire station in the township.
In the letter addressed to the DM, the CFO mentioned that the fire department required a plot of 4,148 square metre for the construction of a fire station of two units. It said that the station would have a built up area of 3,018 square metre. It added that Crossings Infrastructure Private Limited (CIPL), a group of real estate developers, had provided them with a plot of only 350 square metre.
Residents of the township have been demanding an independent fire station since 2011, when they began living in the township. However, the GDA, the fire department and CIPL have been passing the buck over the matter ever since.
Residents recently took the matter to court and filed a PIL with the Allahabad High Court under the aegis of FedAOA, an apex body of AOAs in Ghaziabad.
When City Spidey spoke to Mukesh Tomar, the CEO of CIPL, he said, “The township of 360 acres has plots designated for residential, commercial and various purposes. It also has land designated for a fire station. Some of that land belongs to the municipal corporation. We are trying to acquire the land and that has been taking time.”
Tomar added that 60 per cent of the cost incurred for land acquisition for the township is borne by private builders while 40 per cent is borne by the competent authority (GDA). “But the competent authority has so far not paid any of the expenses. Taking residents’ demands into consideration, we decided to provide a plot of 350 square metre for parking a fire tender in the area in case of an emergency,” he said.
On being asked about the location of the plot, Tomar said that the plot was located between the IGL petrol pump and the police outpost in Crossings Republik.
Sanjay Jha, a resident of Crossings Republik, told City Spidey that the move by the fire department came as a result of the PIL filed at the Allahabad High Court.
Interestingly, Tomar said that he was unaware of the PIL. “We will look into the matter,” he added.
