GANDERBAL: Senior National Conference (NC) leader and former minister Mian Altaf, civil society and PRI members of Gund Ganderbal on Sunday expressed resentment against the district administration for shifting fire service station Gund to Sonamarg for winter months.
The civil society members said the fire service station was in the Gund area for the last many decades and it was unacceptable for them to get it shifted to another place.
They said the administration shifted the fire service station to Sonamarg without taking the residents of the Gund area into confidence. “The step has left this locality at the risk of fire incidents and will endanger the people and property here,” they said. “It is a grave injustice and a big conspiracy against the people of Gund and adjoining areas. This is extremely unethical on part of the administration to take (such a) decision.”
Sarpanch of the village Gund A, Zahoor Ahmad said, “We won’t accept and tolerate this. We need it (fire station) at our place. The authorities should establish a new fire service station for the Sonamarg area.”
The civil society appealed to the district administration and F&ES officials to “rethink the decision and do the needful for the people of the village”.
The residents said their demand should be addressed at the earliest otherwise they will take to the streets, the responsibility of which lies with the administration.
Meanwhile, senior NC leader and former legislator Kangan, Mian Altaf Ahmed has expressed anguish over the proposal of the administration to shift the fire station Gund to Sonamarg during winter.
In a statement, Mian Altaf said, “There is only one fire station with just one fire tender and some employees in the tehsil Gund which caters to a large area from Sonamarg to Gund. Shifting the fire station will put a population of lakhs and residential property in danger and in case of any fire incidents or eventuality it will prove disastrous for the local population.”
Mian Altaf urged the divisional and the district administration to reconsider the decision. He said a separate fire station should be established for Sonamarg.

KR Desk