Gujarat set for Diwali celebration but fire services continue to grapple with shortage of staff

Subsequently, Station Fire Officer (STO) Hardik Gadhvi, who was interim Deputy CFO, resigned with Amit Dave assuming the charge. However, Dave excessively has resigned and is serving the announcement play till December.

Rajkot Municipal Commissioner DP Desai told The Indian Express that the authorities has not yet been capable to supply a azygous elder serviceman to instrumentality complaint successful the city. After an overhaul of the occurrence service, Desai confirmed that the civic assemblage has advertised to capable 319 posts successful the Rajkot Fire and Emergency Services (RFES).

When Maru was arrested, the authorities besides mislaid its interim Regional Fire Officer (RFO) of Rajkot region, a station Maru held temporarily. Since then, Pravin Saraswat, the RFO of Bhavnagar region, has been appointed the interim RFO of Rajkot portion arsenic well, making him the occurrence serviceman with the largest jurisdiction successful Gujarat  —- overseeing 10 of 33 districts.

“While the occurrence section runs astir dousing fires crossed their cities, the authorities has failed to combat the malaise successful the strategy itself,” rued a elder occurrence officer, describing what helium called the “dismal authorities of occurrence services” successful Gujarat.

While determination are aggregate vacancies crossed the occurrence services successful 7 of the 8 large cities of Gujarat, the concern is astir glaring close successful the apical cadres arsenic good arsenic successful the remainder of the staff.

The concern hub of Jamnagar arsenic of present is the lone fully-staffed occurrence work successful Gujarat . This is the lone metropolis to person a full-time CFO successful Gujarat successful the past 2 years.  Jamnagar CFO KK Bishnoi said that portion the firefighting unit is fully-staffed, lone 33 posts of the newly-created Fire Prevention Wing person to beryllium filled station Diwali.

Surat, the lone metropolis successful Gujarat wherever firefighters enactment successful shifts alternatively of being connected work 24/7, was tally by Additional CFO Basant Pareek, who had been in-charge of the section for the past six years since 2017 due to the fact that the important CFO was placed nether suspension.

At the opening of October, Pareek was yet selected and appointed to the important fertile of CFO. According to Pareek, the metropolis has a full of 21 occurrence stations with a full spot of 1,473 staffers. There is simply a vacancy of 391 officers and unit of each cadres. Seven of the 15 apical posts stay vacant.

Ahmedabad’s struggle

In Ahmedabad, Amit Dongre, a determination occurrence serviceman (RFO) from the Gujarat State Fire Prevention Services (GSFPS), was appointed arsenic the CFO but helium could not articulation work earlier Diwali owed to procedural complexities.

Dongre was appointed lone aft the 2nd recruitment effort arsenic the archetypal had ended with nary eligible  candidates, arsenic per officials. Meanwhile, Additional CFO Jayesh Khadia, the longtime interim chief, continues to stay successful charge.

With Dongre’s assignment arsenic CFO Ahmedabad City, helium volition permission the erstwhile station vacant — that of RFO of Ahmedabad Region. The jurisdiction that is apt to autumn vacant includes the districts of Ahmedabad, Kheda, Surendranagar and Botad.

In Ahmedabad, 203 of 700 posts stay vacant successful the firefighting unit portion recruitment for 37 caller posts of the Fire Prevention Wing besides request to beryllium filled. Nine of 19 apical posts stay vacant.

Speaking connected the Diwali preparation, interim CFO Khadia said, “We person cancelled the leaves of each unit and astatine slightest 1 squad volition beryllium connected continuous stand-by astatine each of the 18 occurrence stations. Continued patrolling volition besides beryllium carried retired crossed each days of the festival.”

Severe concern successful authorities capital

In Gandhinagar — the authorities capital, wherever the precise station for a CFO was approved and sanctioned lone successful January this twelvemonth — the station is yet to beryllium filled because, dissimilar immoderate different metropolis occurrence service, it indispensable beryllium filled done the Gujarat Public Service Commission (GPSC).

Its interim CFO Kaizad Dastoor is connected deputation from Ahmedabad. At present, 92 of 170 posts stay vacant successful the Gandhinagar Fire and Emergency Services.

Junagadh

In Junagadh, Dipakkumar Jani, an authoritative of the Bhavnagar Municipal Corporation has been connected deputation arsenic CFO for the past 2 years. In fact, Junagadh has seen respective CFOs being appointed connected contractual ground successful the caller past. Multiple attempts to capable the station person remained unsuccessful. The Junagadh Municipal Corporation is apt to contented advertisements to substantially capable the station aft Diwali.

An official, connected information of anonymity, said, “There are a full of 187 sanctioned posts successful the Junagadh Fire and Emergency Services. Of these, 10 are filled with afloat clip staff, including 9 drivers and 1 firefighter. Others are presently filled done an outsourcing agency.” When asked astir this, interim CFO Jani said that advertisements to capable each vacant posts had been issued and the process would instrumentality spot aft Diwali.

 Bhavnagar

In Bhavnagar, Pradyumansinh Jadeja, a divisional officer, was made in-charge CFO successful March this twelvemonth but the full-time station has been vacant since astatine slightest 2006 — the past 18 years. Over the years, determination person been 3 attempts to capable the station of CFO, the latest conscionable earlier the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, but the station continues to stay vacant.

An authoritative said that the municipal corp is apt to capable the station done promotion but that is improbable to hap earlier May 2025, owing to the acquisition criteria. A full of 108 of 222 sanctioned posts successful the firefighting unit stay vacant. Further, 27 newly-created posts for the Fire Prevention Wing besides stay to beryllium filled.

Vadodara

After the suspension of the past CFO successful 2014, the apical station successful Vadodara has mostly remained vacant.

Deputy CFO Parth Brahmbhatt has been in-charge CFO since 2019 for much than 5 years now. However, Brahmbhatt himself was suspended from work astatine the extremity of September this twelvemonth aft helium was progressive successful a clash with firefighters nether his command.

An FIR was besides filed successful the matter. Currently, the Vadodara Fire and Emergency Services is helmed by Station Officer Nikunj Azad.

Vadodara Fire and Emergency Services has a vacancy successful astir 30% of posts.

Dr Devesh Patel, the in-charge HoD of VFES, says, “We person 9 operational occurrence stations. The recruitment process is connected to capable up the vacancies, which is astir astir 30%. We are prepared to grip emergencies presently arsenic each unit are stationed successful the respective areas and nary leaves person been granted.”

Patel adds that the VMC has besides advertised to capable up the vacant station of the main occurrence officer, divisional officer, presumption officer, and sub-fire serviceman positions.

Vadodara has an concern loop arsenic good arsenic the Gujarat Refinery and precocious faced flak for a short-staffed VFES during the August 2024 floods that ravaged the city.

(With inputs from Aditi Raja successful Vadodara and Kamal Saiyed successful Surat)