Nod for ₹45.57 cr. to buy life-saving equipment
All firemen on field duty in the State will soon get aquatic rescue jackets to tackle flood and other emergency situations effectively.
The government has given administrative sanction for ₹45.57 crore for buying various life-saving equipment and vehicles that include aquatic rescue jackets, firefighting suits and rubber dinghy (inflatable boats) among various other items as part of modernising the Fire and Rescue Services Department.
The latest assistance forms part of the ₹70 crore allocated to the department under the State Annual Plan for 2019-20 fiscal. The Home Department had sanctioned ₹24.42 crore in March.
Tender soon
“The tender proceedings for purchase of life-saving equipment and vehicles under the ₹45.57 crore sanctioned will begin soon. The department had already completed the tender proceedings for the ₹24.42-crore assistance, for which administrative sanction was issued earlier,” said R. Prasad, Director (Technical), Fire and Rescue Services Department. As per the government order issued on September 16, about ₹67.09 lakh will be spent for purchasing 4,473 aquatic rescue jackets. The department will procure 1,500 firefighting suits at ₹6.75 crore. Fifteen rubber dinghy with outboard engine (40 hp) will be bought at ₹1.5 crore.
The major share of the ₹45.57-crore assistance has been allocated for buying advanced rescue tenders. Twenty such rescue tenders will be bought at ₹16 crore. Other lifesaving equipment and vehicles to be acquired by the department include dry chemical powder fire tender (6 numbers – ₹4.62 crore); foam tender (10 – ₹6.7 crore); bullet with water mist (50 – ₹4.75 crore); mobilising van (6 – ₹1.5 crore); fibre boat with outboard engine 40 hp (14 – ₹2.10 crore); and foam compound 20 litre unit (1,500 – ₹21 lakh) and so on.S