Yashpal Suvarna, Udupi MLA, on Tuesday, urged the State government to immediately arrange fire extinguisher vehicles for the fire station at Malpe fishing harbour in Udupi.
In separate letters to the Chief Minister and the Home Minister, the MLA said the government had withdrawn two vehicles from service as they had crossed 15 years of service two months ago. As such, Malpe fire station has remained without any fire extinguishing vehicles.
Mr. Suvarna said the then Home Minister the late V.S. Acharya had sanctioned the fire station at Malpe after many fire mishaps at Malpe fishing habour, which is one of the important fishing centres in the country. The fire station, serving such an important facility, has now become defunct without vehicles, he regretted.
The MLA said the Fire and Emergency Services Department itself was in distress when the fire mishap occurred at Malpe on Monday. The government should have become alert after the fire mishap involving fishing boats recently at the Gangolli fishing harbour nearby, he said.
Mr. Suvarna said though the government withdrew over 250 vehicles of the department aged over 15 years as per the Road Transport Ministry rule, it had not replaced them with new vehicles. The government should have been serious about the issue as any fire mishap involving fishing vessels at the harbour during the prevailing hot weather could devastate the life of thousands of fishermen, the MLA reiterated.
