Meghdoot, the hydraulic ladder, on display during a function at Gandhi Maidan in Patna. Telegraph picture

Patna, Jan. 23: It was supposed to be a rescue tool in case a fire broke out. After gathering dust for five years, it developed a snag and is under repair in Ahmedabad now.

Meghdoot, the state-of-the-art hydraulic ladder the state fire department bought from Italy at a cost of Rs 3 crore, has become dysfunctional because of poor maintenance.

The ladder, named by RJD chief Lalu Prasad, was never used. It was kept in the open at Lodhipur fire station in Patna for years in want of a proper shed.

A source in the fire department told The Telegraph exposure to the rain and dust as well as lack of maintenance led to the undoing of the equipment. It is likely to return to the state capital in March, up and running.

“The equipment was purchased for Rs 3 crore. It came from Italy to Mumbai in a ship, and then to Patna by road. It is a hi-tech machine operated through remote control system. But the department was never in a position to use it. So it has been lying idle,” said a source.

The source added that the bad state of roads in the city was responsible for the ladder not being used.

“The city roads are terrible in most places, the lanes are very narrow and electric wires dangle at low heights at several places. It was almost impossible to use the machine. It had just become a showpiece. The department just used to take it out for display at Gandhi Maidan during some functions,” the source said.

“The Lodhipur fire station, where the hydraulic ladder was kept, did not have proper arrangements to shield the machine from the nature’s vagaries. There was no shed to protect the equipment from rain. Three months ago, it became defunct. Now, it has been sent for repair,” added the source.

When contacted, state fire officer Ramesh Chandra admitted that the machine was out of order.

“We never used it because there was no need. There has not seen a single fire in highrises in the city in the past five years. But the department was using it for training. Some problems developed in two to three hydraulic pipes of the machine and it has been sent to Ahmedabad for repair,” an official told The Telegraph.

He added that the fire department would now keep the hydraulic ladder in one of the newly made garages at Kankerbagh and Patna City fire stations.

“A maintenance area is being built at the fire station at Lodhipur too. The work got stalled for sometime but it is back on track now. There are proper garages at the fire stations in Kankerbagh and Patna City. Once it arrives in March, the machine will be kept there,” he said.