Six Fire Services Personnel Suspended

Bhubaneswar: Six agitating fire officials have been suspended for alleged undisciplined behaviour and dereliction of duty.

Fire personnel across the state have been on a cease-work strike since Monday, demanding salary and pension at par with Odisha police, filling up of vacancies and removal of contractual appointment.

A communiqué in this regard has been released from the Central Range Fire Officer in Cuttack following loss of life and property due to their agitation.

According to reports, Leading Fireman and a fire personnel of Chitrada fire station in Mayurbhanj district have been suspended on charges of gross dereliction, negligence in duty, indiscipline conduct and unauthorized withdrawal from duty.

The firemen were suspended for not responding to emergency calls. No one from the fire department turned up on September 24 when a small child fell into a well at Dakoi village under Morda block in Mayurbhanj district on Monday. Their adamancy led to the death of the child who drowned in the well.

Besides, two fire personnel each of Daspalla (Nayagarh district) and Baliapal (Balasore district) fire stations have been placed under suspension.

In Balasore, fire-fighters didn’t respond to a fire mishap in which eight houses were gutted on Monday.

The same day, five houses were reduced to ashed at Srirampur in Nayagarh district. The distress calls to the local fire station at Daspalla went unanswered.

A delegation of the striking personnel had met Director General Fire Services B K Sharma, who assured to take up their demands with the state government. However, they refused to budge from the stand, demanding immediate fulfillment of their demands.