UP may drop Jewar Petition alleges fire project if farmers dept is ill-equipped don’t give land
LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh government might drop the Jewar International Airport project in Gautam Buddh Nagar on outskirts of Delhi if farmers do not agree to hand over their land for acquisition, a top official said on Thursday.
Chairman of Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority, Prabhat Kumar, told PTI that they met over 100 farmers from across six villages in Noida on Wednesday and tried to clear their doubts.
“We met village heads and farmers of six villages, where land was proposed to be acquired for the project. They were given offer regarding land rates and other benefits. If they (farmers) do not agree, the airport project might be dropped,” he said.
“The farmers were assured that their land will not be procured without their willingness as per the instructions of chief minister Yogi Adityanath,” said Kumar, who is also the UP agriculture production commissioner.
According to the offer, farmers would be given ₹ 2,300 to ₹2,500 per square metre for the agricultural land. NEWDELHI: The Delhi High court on Thursday sought the response of the AAP government and the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) on a petition alleging acute manpower crunch and lack of equipment in the fire department.
A bench of chief justice Rajendra Menon and justice V K Rao asked the Delhi government whether it had sent the requisition to fill up more than 45% vacancy in the DFS.
The plea filed by the Association of the Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT) alleged that even after the lapse of 21 years of the Uphaar Tragedy, where 59 people were charred to death in a fire at cinema hall, the fire safety in Delhi had not improved.
“In 21 years, the situation with regard to fire safety ought to have improved but on the contrary it deteriorated. The fire services is facing manpower crunch to an extent of 45.29% of its total prescribed strength,” the plea said.
The association, represented by senior advocate Vikas Pahwa, said the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had in its March 2015 report had found several loopholes in the functioning of DFS.
“The conclusion arrived at by CAG shows planning and preparedness for fire prevention undertaken and achieved by DFS was not commensurate with the size and complexity of a megacity like Delhi,” the plea said.
The petition said the DFS does not have any firefighting equipment to tackle fires at a height of more than 220 feet, as its Bronto Skylift can’t reach beyond it.
It said the “Safe Goa 24/7 - Emergency Monitoring System” should also be introduced in the national Capital.
This initiative includes installing an electronic hardware in a building that links the Fire Force Headquarters Control Room and the local fire station watch room of the Goa State Fire Emergency Services.
This system uses remote-communication technologies such as GPRS and continually exchanges data and information regarding the operational status of the fire protection measures installed in the premises.