Home Minister Araga Jnanendra has said that steps are being taken to provide the requisite infrastructure and amenities to the Fire and Emergency Services Department which has been rendering tremendous services in times of fire accidents and natural calamities.
He was speaking to presspersons after inaugurating a new station of Fire and Emergency Services at Belur Industrial Estate near Dharwad on Wednesday.
The Belur Fire and Emergency Services Station is the 216th fire station in the State and the eighth in Dharwad district.
In the Belur Industrial Estate spread over 2,035 acres, 592 various small and big industries are functioning where 18,000 employees are working. The total population of the area is 84,893 and the new fire station will cater to the needs of the industrial estate, he said.
The Belur fire station has been built in an area of two acres at a total cost of ₹2.23 crore by the Karnataka State Police Infrastructure Development Corporation.
Mr. Jnanendra said that as the Belur Fire Station is located close to Hubballi-Dharwad, it will be easier to send fire engines and personnel to various points in the vicinity in case of emergencies.
To a query, the Home Minister said that the Police Department has initiated a recruitment drive for filling vacant posts and also begun work on upgradation of police stations. All efforts are being made to make police stations more people-friendly, he said.
Earlier, during the inauguration of the fire station, the Home Minister was accompanied by Chairman of Legislative Council Basavaraj Horatti, Dharwad MLA Amrut Desai, Director-General of Police and Director-General of Fire and Emergency Services Amar Kumar Pande and senior officials.
