Grounded: A file picture of the imported 42-metre hydraulic ladder at Doranda fire headquarters

Better sorry than safe, swear our fire mandarins as they consciously ignore a glaring chink in the state’s blaze armour.

The lone hydraulic ladder, which was procured from Finland in 2006 for Rs 4.52 crore, has been lying defunct at the Dhurwa fire station in Ranchi since April this year, with senior fire department officials trying to keep the damage under wraps instead of making concerted efforts to fix it.

The matter came to the fore during an interaction with a district official a couple of days ago. The Telegraph had asked him why the perilous beehives at the district collectorate were not being removed, to which he said that they had approached the fire department, but the latter expressed helplessness because their special fire tender was grounded.

Unlike normal fire ladders, the hydraulic platform of this hi-tech ladder can reach up to 42 metres if functional and is important for a city where high-rises are mushrooming by the day.

Currently, Ranchi’s impressive skyline flaunts more than two dozen high-rise apartments, malls and complexes.

Heal hubs like Orchid Hospital and Santevita on Old HB Road boast nine storeys, while entertainment addresses such as Galaxia Mall on Ratu Road has six floors and Spring City Mall in Hinoo has five. The malls are crowd-pullers and the hospitals always crowded.

Since realtors always find ways to get around fire safety norms in this state, many of these buildings can turn into towering infernos in no time. And without the hydraulic ladder, the battle for rescue will be lost before it begins.

Fortunately for Ranchi’s residents, no major incident of fire has taken place in the city after the ladder went kaput. Last year, however, a blaze at a multi-storied apartment behind Plaza Cinema had required the help of the fire department’s tallest soldier.

“The fire tender equipped with the hydraulic ladder can give firemen easy access to the top floor of a nine-storey building and speed up rescue operations. So, it is extremely important to repair the snag. High-rises are coming up everywhere. God forbid, but if a blaze occurs on the upper floors of any of these tall buildings — for instance the hotels on Main Road — people may die before we manage to rescue them. For, it is no cakewalk to reach say 80ft without a hydraulic fire lift, when stairways will be filled with smoke,” a fire official bared home truths.

Officials in the department maintained that they were unaware what exactly was wrong with the hydraulic ladder. “In April, a team of engineers came from Delhi to inspect the machine. Nothing could be done because it involved huge expenses,” said another fire official, not willing to be quoted.

Employees at the department stressed that they had urged senior officials, including fire director-general (DG) Kumud Choudhary, to repair the ladder, but in vain. “Nothing has been done till date. In fact, not a single penny has been sanctioned to fix the snag. The department has taken no initiative,” a fireman said.

He added that besides the hydraulic ladder, two of the seven fire tenders at Dhurwa were lying grounded for a long time. “Even at Audrey House fire station, one of the four blaze control vehicles is out of order. The Doranda fire office alone boasts all the seven fire tenders in working condition,” he said, revealing how poor maintenance of infrastructure could paralyse a state’s fire fighting capabilities.

No senior official of the department was willing to make a comment, saying that their chief had instructed them not to speak to the media about the tall trouble they were grappling with.

When contacted, fire DG Choudhary claimed that all was well with the ladder. “I don’t think there is any problem with it, as nothing is in my knowledge,” she said.

Should fire bosses be taken to task for gross negligence?

Tell ttkhand@abpmail.com