Darjeeling, Dec. 30: Concerned over the increase in incidents of fire in the town, a group of residents has come together to demand a fire sub-station in downtown Darjeeling.

Residents under the banner of Nagarik Sangrakchan Samity plastered posters of the demand across the town. They maintained that the shifting of the fire station from Chowk Bazar to Dali, 6 km from here, two years ago has increased the risk of damage caused by fire.

Fire tenders are often forced to use NH 55, which witnesses prolonged traffic snarls. As a result, they are unable to reach the site of the blaze on time, putting hundreds of lives in peril.

?Though the fire tenders had arrived on time when a blaze started at Motor Stand on Monday, it has made us realise the importance of having a sub-station in Darjeeling town. We demand that a sub-station with adequate fire tenders be posted immediately at the place where the old fire station was located,? said Lalit Kumar Tiwari, the secretary of the samity.

When the fire station was shifted to Dali from Chowk Bazar due to a space crunch, Pratim Chatterjee, the fire services minister, had assured that a sub-station would be made functional in the town.

Sources in the fire department said lack of adequate fire personnel is a major hurdle to the opening of a sub-station in downtown Darjeeling.

Of the 113-odd fire hydrants in the town, only seven are functional.

The problem of certain areas being inaccessible, largely because of encroachment, is another hurdle.