HC seeks fresh reply from CG govt on fire safety, infra upgrades

Raipur The Chhattisgarh High Court has sought a fresh affidavit from the state govt on the progress of fire and emergency service infrastructure upgrades, directing it to clarify by July 21 whether work orders have been issued for tenders worth over Rs 72 crore.

Hearing a suo motu PIL on fire safety, the court reviewed the govt’s plans involving more than Rs 280 crore for procurement of modern firefighting equipment, hydraulic platforms, rescue vehicles, and the establishment of 16 new fire stations across the state. The bench stressed the need for a clear update on the implementation status of the proposed measures.On June 23, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice Ravindra Kumar Agrawal issued the order during the hearing of a suo motu public interest litigation (PIL) on fire safety measures in the state.

The bench specified that the next report must clarify whether work orders have been issued.The directive followed an status report filed by the Director of Training and Operation, Fire and Emergency Services, Home Guards and State Disaster Response Force. The report outlined the budgetary allocations made for the financial year 2026-27 to upgrade fire fighting infrastructure.According to the state affidavit, tenders worth Rs 72.70 crore have been floated on the GeM portal for procurement of fire tenders, water tenders, foam tenders, mini mist fire vehicles, and water bowsers.

These tenders are currently undergoing technical evaluation.The process to acquire land is pending in Mungeli, Gaurela-Pendra-Marwahi, Bijapur, Sarangarh-Bilaigarh, Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur, Kondagaon, Sukma, Balrampur, Narayanpur, Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki, and Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai districts. The department stated it is coordinating with the respective district administrations to expedite the land acquisition.Counsel Manas Vajpai appeared for the petitioner, while Additional Advocate General Shashank Thakur represented the state. Counsel Ashish Sahu appeared for the other respondents.