K’khairane fire station project delayed again

Navi Mumbai: Work on Koparkhairane

fire station

, which is being built at a cost of Rs 8 crore, has jumped its fourth deadline. NMMC is now not sure if the operations can be kicked off any time soon since a parking bay is yet to be constructed and recruitment for staff is under way.

No deadline has been set for throwing open the emergency facility to the public. The fire station is meant to cater to Koparkhairane, Ghansoli and their neighbouring areas. The residents of these nodes are dependent on fire fighters from either Vashi or Airoli. As many as 44 months have passed since the

project

started but the date for operations to start is still uncertain.

The residents will have to wait longer than expected for the new fire station at Koparkhairane. With four deadlines expiring in less than four years, the civic body is now taking caution to announce another date for starting its operations.

Confirming the delay in construction of the fire station, NMMC executive engineer Sanjay Desai said, “We are running behind the schedule by several months. A parking bay is yet to be built because the locals went to court against it. The construction work has been stopped according to the court’s orders. Now, we have made a contingency plan to open the facility without this additional bay as the work is complete.”

According to civic sources, the administration can start the facility any time from now once the recruitment of staff is over. “The process of recruiting fire personnel is on and we will soon make the fire station operational. There were some encroachments on the plot that delayed the project,” said an official.

The project was to be completed within 18 months, including the monsoon season. “Work on the project has been stopped due to reasons best known to the civic administration. This has inconvenienced residents for years,” said local resident Saroj Patil.

Cidco had kept the plot reserved for the fire station to serve the growing population of Ghansoli and Koparkhairane nodes. The facility is set to cover as many as 30 sectors. “During emergencies, fire engines from Vashi or Airoli stations come to the rescue of the local residents. This has led to loss of golden hours,” said another resident Ritesh Gupta.

The fire station has also been designed to serve adjoining areas like Mahape, Adavali, Butavali, Pawane, Khairane and Bonkhode. The facility will have space to park five fire engines, an office room, four residential quarters for officers and a parking lot.