Bani residents demand Fire Service station as locals suffer recurrent losses
Bani (Kathua), Jul 25: Residents of Bani tehsil in district Kathua have reiterated their long-pending demand for the establishment of a fire service station in the area.
They allege that despite repeatedly highlighting the issue over the years, there has been no positive response from the government so far.
The locals stated that during recent years, they have suffered property losses worth crores due to the absence of a fire service station.
“Had there been a fire station in our area, the damage could have been less,” said Mudasar Ali, a local social activist.
Bani is a snow-bound and hilly region, where more than 90 percent of the houses are made of wood and tin sheets—making them highly vulnerable to fire incidents.
Despite several fire mishaps reported frequently in the region, the government has failed to set up even a single fire station, leaving the population exposed and helpless.
The residents expressed their disappointment, stating that it was difficult to understand why their area, despite being a Tehsil headquarters with over 33 villages and thousands of residents, was still deprived of such a basic and critical facility.
They pointed out that while many government offices were located in the area, not a single fire tender was available, putting lives and property at constant risk.
“We have been urging the government for the past several years to establish a fire station in this area, but nothing substantial has been done so far,” Mudasar added.
The residents have once again appealed to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha; Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, MLA Bani, and the Kathua district administration for immediate intervention.
They have urged that at least three fire stations be established in this remote and neglected belt of Kathua to safeguard the lives and property of the local population.
They urged the Director General of Fire and Emergency Services, Jammu and Kashmir, to pay attention to the suffering of people and establish a fire station in Bani at the earliest so that their genuine grievances could be addressed.
