Former Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda met with the local business owners and families affected by the arson incident in the D-Park area of Rohtak. He expressed deep condolences to the families of the deceased and offered them words of comfort, and also inquired about the extent of the losses suffered by everyone.
MLA Bharat Bhushan Batra, former Minister Subhash Batra, and former MLA Anand Singh Dangi were also present on the occasion.
Hooda termed the compensation announced by the government as inadequate and demanded an increase. He stated that all victims should receive full compensation and arrangements should be made for the reconstruction of the shops so that their livelihoods could be restored. Additionally, he demanded that a government job be provided to each family that lost a loved one in this fire tragedy.
Hooda remarked that the damage could have been minimised had the fire department been fully equipped. However, the current situation is such that 50 per cent of the firefighter posts in the state are lying vacant; recruitment for these positions has been stalled for two and a half years.
“The condition of the fire tenders is poor, one vehicle broke down while attempting to douse the fire at D-Park and failed to spray water. The water pressure of the first vehicle was too low to be effective against the blaze. It took the second vehicle nearly 50 minutes to arrive, by which time significant damage had already occurred,” he said.
Responding to questions from journalists, Hooda noted that the fire station has now been relocated outside the city. He emphasised the need for a station within the city limits as well, ensuring that assistance can reach the site of a fire as quickly as possible.
Reports of arson incidents are continuously emerging from across the country, resulting in severe loss of life and property. In such a situation, governments, including that of Haryana, must ensure that the fire department remains fully alert and is equipped with all the necessary gear to swiftly bring fires under control, even in the most inaccessible areas.
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