Nagpur: A serious administrative lapse has surfaced in the functioning of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) after the fire department flagged critical access issues at the temporarily relocated Ganjipeth Fire Station, raising concerns over emergency response in one of the city’s busiest commercial areas.The Ganjipeth fire station was temporarily shifted to a vacant municipal school building near Model Mill Chowk in the Gadikhana area while its dilapidated original building undergoes reconstruction. However, the interim site has proved operationally unsuitable due to severe entry restrictions.In a letter dated March 11, in-charge station officer S Sayyed informed the assistant municipal commissioner of the Gandhibagh zone that the main gate of the premises is too narrow for fire engines to enter. The station has three firefighting vehicles, which are forced to remain parked outside the compound for most of the day, affecting operational readiness.The fire department requested the zone office to widen the gate and remove the road divider outside the premises to allow smooth movement of fire tenders. Despite the urgency flagged in the communication, the Gandhibagh zone has not initiated any action.The risks became evident on Sunday afternoon when a fire broke out around 1pm at a two-storey building in the Handloom Market complex in the Gandhibagh area. The office of advocate Shrichand Kundwani was gutted, destroying computers and furniture. Alert residents and traders managed to prevent the flames from spreading to nearby establishments.After receiving the alert from the control room, station officer S Sayyed rushed to the spot with his team. Given the congestion in the locality, additional fire tenders were called from the Cotton Market and Civil Lines fire stations to assist in the operation. The blaze was eventually brought under control through coordinated efforts by the firefighters.Local leaders, including corporator Sanjay Balpande and BJP city president Dayashankar Tiwari, visited the site to assess the damage. A case was registered at Tehsil Police Station, while the cause of the fire is yet to be determined.Fire officials said the continued inaction of the Gandhibagh zone has exposed a coordination gap within the civic body. With the Ganjipeth station serving densely populated commercial areas, delays in addressing basic operational requirements could hamper emergency response times and put lives and property at risk.
