Kilinochchi conflagration sparks interest in fire-fighting services
Profit -making fire brigades encouraged to upgrade
Provincial Councils and Local Government Ministry Secretary Kamal Pathmasiri said the issue of all Municipal Councils and pradeshiya sabhas having access to a fire fighting service in case of an emergency is being discussed.
Municipal Councils and other local bodies that depend on neighbouring local bodies to provide fire fighting services in case of a major fire are inconvenienced due to the lack of a fire fighting service of their own.
This matter was highlighted after last week’s fire at the Kilinochchi market that razed it to the ground with the loss estimated at around Rs.222 million.
Kilinochchi Pradeshiya Sabha does not have a fire fighting service of its own and had to request help from the Jaffna Municipal Council's fire fighting service.
The distance between Kilinochchi and Jaffna is around 80 kilometres taking around one an a half hours travelling time.
Kilinochchi Government Agent Sunderalingam Arumainayagam said that if Kilinochchi had its own fire fighting service the fire could have been doused early avoiding the massive loss.
Around 124 small traders selling fruits, fancy accessories and textiles were affected. The Kilinochchi Pradeshiya Sabha has put up temporary structures and granted Rs. 20,000 to each trader to resume his business.
Th GA said details of the estimated loss have been forwarded to relevant govern- ment offices for action. He contends that the disaster has brought home the fact that if Kilinochchi had its own service the major fire that took place could have been averted.
We have requested a fire fighting service of our own after this disaster, he said.
Similar situations in other local bodies have been met in different ways.
When a plastic manufacturing factory in Dalupitiya caught fire the Wattala Pradeshiya Sabha sought help from the Gampaha Municipal Council (GMC) but it was delayed as the area did not come under the latter's purview and it was unclear as to who would pay for the service as no agreement had been entered into with the GMC.
In another instance when a filling station in Teldeniya was on fire the Kandy MC was reluctant to send help in time as on an earlier occasion (a fire) it had received help but refused to pay the bills forwarded by the Kandy MC.
Provincial Councils and Local Government Ministry Secretary Kamal Pathmasiri said the issue of all Municipal Councils and pradeshiya sabhas having access to a fire fighting service in case of an emergency is being discussed.
He said having fire fighting departments for all local government bodies is too expensive and added two proposals have been put forward.
The Ministry has called on those councils and local bodies that are making money by providing fire fighting services to set apart 50 per cent of the profits thus earned for upgrading its equipment and on staff. An equal amount will be given as a soft loan from the Local Loans Development Fund of the Ministry to fund such improvements.
The other local bodies that do not have the funds and cannot come up with the initial 50 per cent investment will be provided with foreign loans that fund such projects.
He said that already the Ministry is looking at a proposal from Austria that has come up to to provide a soft loan for the project.
"We have called for financial and technical proposals from the local bodies and decisions will be taken depending on their capacity for repayment," he said.