Nagpur: NMC’s 20 crore, 70-metre hydraulic platform — procured to tackle fires in the city’s rapidly rising high-rises — has remained out of service for eight months, with its registration now stuck at Union ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH).Confirming the delay, Nagpur city RTO Kiran Bidkar told TOI the imported firefighting vehicle cannot be registered until it receives approval from MoRTH, as it is not listed on the national homologation portal.“The vehicle was imported directly from abroad and does not have model approval. Such imported vehicles are not available on the homologation portal, so they require a special process. We conducted the inspection, prepared the report and sent it to MoRTH in New Delhi around two to three months ago. The proposal is still pending there,” Bidkar said.He added the RTO had guided NMC officials about the registration procedure from the beginning and extended all possible assistance. “They should have discussed the process with the RTO before importing the vehicle so such issues could have been avoided,” he said.During enquiries, TOI came to know the NMC’s fire dept had approached the city RTO soon after the Finland-made hydraulic platform reached Nagpur in Nov 2025after NMC spent 15.10 crore on procurement and another 4.72 crore as customs duty. Technical trials have already been completed, but the lack of registration has prevented the vehicle from being deployed on city roads.Prolonged delay has left Nagpur without its most advanced firefighting equipment despite a sharp increase in high-rise buildings over past few years. Ironically, the platform was purchased precisely because the city’s existing fleet lacked the capability to reach buildings up to 70 metres.
