Delhi Fire Service has secured land for 29 new fire stations and a training centre, taking the city’s planned network from 71 to 100 stations, but the capital will still need 21 more to meet the requirement for effective five-minute emergency coverage, according to a report by The Times of India.
The expansion is aimed at improving firefighting infrastructure in densely populated colonies, industrial areas and rapidly developing neighbourhoods where gaps in station coverage can increase response times. The requirement of 121 fire stations is based on norms under the Master Plan for Delhi, according to the report.
Seven plots have already been allotted to the Delhi Fire Service in Rohini Sector 41, Geeta Colony, Anand Parbat, Yamuna Vihar, Dwarka sectors 38 and 20, and Narela Industrial Area. The Public Works Department has begun preparing construction estimates for these sites.
The Revenue Department has made nine additional plots available at Ghalibpur, Jhatikra, Badusarai, Dhansa, Ghumanhera, Mundhela Kalan, Nizampur and Mungeshpur, among other locations. Several of these areas are on Delhi’s periphery, where expanding residential settlements and development have increased the need for emergency services.
The fire service has also sought layout plans identifying land reserved for 14 stations under the zonal plans of the Master Plan for Delhi 2021. The proposed locations include Burari, Fatehpur Jat, Karala, Inderlok, Mundka Industrial Area, Sonia Vihar, Karawal Nagar Industrial Area, Kapashera, Meethapur-Jaitpur, Chhatarpur, Aya Nagar-Ghitorni, Mandoli Industrial Area and Jharoda.
For its training centre, the department has been allotted land at Budhanpur Majra. The facility is intended to support the expansion of the firefighting network, although the report does not provide a construction or commissioning timeline.
A Delhi Fire Service official said the department was expediting the identification and transfer of land for the remaining 27 stations. The official said priority was being given to high-risk, densely populated and rapidly developing areas, with a review of emergency response times planned for congested residential colonies, industrial clusters and areas with high-rise buildings.
The department is separately pursuing land allotment with the Delhi Development Authority at nine locations: Rohini sectors 11, 27, 35 and 36, Sultanpuri, Mahipalpur, Pitampura, Sarai Rohilla and Golden Park on Rohtak Road. Joint site inspections have been proposed to identify suitable plots.
The land-allotment process indicates that the expansion is moving through multiple government agencies, with the Revenue Department, the Public Works Department, the Delhi Development Authority and the Delhi Fire Service involved at different stages. However, the stated target of 121 stations will not be met until the remaining sites are identified, transferred, constructed and made operational.
