Firefighters struggle to reach emergencies in Hyderabad’s congested old city

Firefighters in Hyderabad’s old city face delays reaching emergencies due to low-hanging power cables, narrow roads, unscientific speed breakers, and parked vehicles. A minor fire in Teegalkunta highlighted risks, with residents stepping in to control the blaze before the fire truck arrived

Hyderabad: Attending a fire call swiftly is becoming a challenging task for firefighters in the congested localities, particularly in the Old City areas, with low-hanging power cables, unscientific speed breakers, and haphazard parking of vehicles delaying their response.

On Wednesday, the Chandrayangutta fire station received a call about a fire breaking out at a house in Teegalkunta, Falaknuma. An advanced fire truck was on its way to attend the incident.

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“On the way, we faced a lot of problems due to low-hanging power cables. If not carefully handled, the power cables could snap and fall on the vehicle, leading to electrocution. If the live electricity cables fall on the road, people will get electrocuted, further compounding the problems,” complained D Masthan Yadav, who was driving the fire truck.

Luckily, it was a minor fire incident and the local people, in presence of Abdul Hannan, local co-corporator, put off the fire. “If it had been a major fire, you could imagine the loss of property or human lives due to the delay,” he added.

“Many a time, the firemen get down from the vehicle and guide the driver in carefully traveling through the congested roads and low-hanging cables to avoid mishap. It delays response time. The problem is acute in thickly populated slums,” said Vinod Kumar, driver of Moghalpura fire station.

The firemen complain of facing severe problems due to low-hanging power cables in Vattepally, Farooqnagar, Fatimnagar, Nawab Sahab Kunta, Teegalkunta, Amannagar, Sultan Shahi, Nashemannagar, Asadbabanagar, Kishanbagh, Bandlaguda, Ghousenagar, Kalapather and a few other slums.

“Unscientific speed breakers and haphazard parking of vehicles on the roads are another major problem. People want us to come immediately, but how is it possible with so many obstacles on the way?” said Assistant Fire Officer, P Nagaiah.