Ranchi’s fire wing has been placed on high alert ahead of Diwali and Kali Puja, with fire tenders positioned at key cracker-selling locations, shops inspected for compliance and additional home guards assigned to address a staff shortage.
Deputy commissioner Manjunath Bhajantri said fire safety was the administration’s top priority during the festival period. He directed Kali Puja organisers to follow the administration’s advisory, including ensuring that electrical wiring at pandals and related installations is safe.
Fire tenders have been stationed at three identified cracker-selling hubs: Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium, Morabadi Ground and Harmu Ground. Personnel have remained ready to move from these locations since Friday, allowing the department to respond quickly to incidents in and around the city’s main festival activity zones.
The deployment covers more than the temporary cracker markets. Officials are also paying special attention to crowded markets, routes leading to puja pandals and areas where large gatherings could complicate emergency movement. The arrangements will continue throughout the festival period, according to the report.
Fire services personnel inspected cracker shops on Saturday to check whether safety requirements were being followed. Shop owners were instructed to keep fire extinguishers available and maintain buckets filled with water and sand. Officials also shared their mobile numbers so that accidents could be reported without delay.
The administration’s warnings to residents focus on reducing the risk of fires in locations where a small incident could spread rapidly or obstruct emergency access. Bhajantri appealed to people not to burst crackers in densely populated areas, near petrol pumps or close to inflammable materials. He also asked parents to supervise children while crackers are being used.
The use of home guards to support the fire wing reflects an operational constraint during a period when demand for emergency response can rise across several parts of the city at the same time. The additional personnel are intended to strengthen the department’s festival readiness while fire crews remain deployed at sensitive locations.
For cracker sellers, the immediate responsibility is to maintain basic firefighting equipment and comply with safety instructions during trading. For puja organisers, safe electrical wiring has been specifically identified as a requirement. For residents, the administration has linked safer celebrations to location choices, adult supervision and keeping away from combustible materials.
The fire-safety arrangements will remain in place throughout Diwali and Kali Puja, with officials continuing inspections and maintaining readiness at cracker hubs, crowded markets and routes connecting festival venues.
