Former Haryana chief minister and Leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Friday visited the D-Park area of Rohtak and met families affected by the recent fire incident. He expressed condolences to the families who lost their loved ones and spoke with local shopkeepers and residents about the losses they suffered.
Congress leaders Bharat Bhushan Batra, Subhash Batra and Anand Singh Dangi were also present during the visit.
Hooda said the compensation announced by the government was insufficient and demanded that it be increased. He urged the government to provide full compensation to all affected families and help rebuild damaged shops so that traders could restart their businesses. He also demanded that a government job be given to one member of each family that lost a relative in the tragedy.
The senior Congress leader alleged that the extent of damage could have been reduced if the fire department had adequate manpower and equipment. He claimed that nearly half of the firefighter posts in Haryana are vacant and recruitment has been pending for more than two years.
Referring to the fire-fighting operation, Hooda alleged that one fire tender developed a technical fault at the site and could not function properly, while another had inadequate water pressure. He further claimed that the second fire tender reached the spot after a considerable delay, by which time the fire had already caused extensive damage.
Speaking to reporters, Hooda said the fire station had been shifted outside the city and stressed the need for a fire station within city limits to ensure a faster response during emergencies.
He said incidents of major fires are being reported from different parts of the country, leading to heavy loss of life and property. Hooda urged governments to ensure that fire departments remain fully equipped, adequately staffed and prepared to respond quickly to such emergencies.
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