Boniyar residents demand permanent fire station

Idrees Bukhtiyar
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24 Dec 2025

Srinagar, Dec 24: A day after the authorities temporarily deployed a fire tender in Boniyar area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, residents have renewed their demand for the establishment of a permanent fire station in the tehsil, expressing concern over the short duration of the arrangement. An order issued by Alok Kumar, IPS, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) and Director, Fire & Emergency Services, Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday, said that one fire tender bearing chassis and registration number 3078/CH, presently attached to the Fire and Emergency Services Headquarters in Srinagar, has been deployed at Boniyar for a period of three months with immediate effect. However, locals said the temporary measure falls far short of the long-pending demand for a full-fledged fire station. Residents questioned what would happen once the three-month period ends, stating that Boniyar and its adjoining areas remain highly vulnerable to fire incidents due to dense habitation, wooden structures, and difficult terrain. “The deployment of a fire tender is a welcome step, but it is only a temporary relief. After three months, are we expected to go back to the same uncertainty?” Nadeem Sheikh, a local of Dudran village of Boniyar, told Rising Kashmir. He added that the absence of a nearby fire station has repeatedly resulted in delayed response, leading to extensive damage to property in past incidents. Locals recalled several fire incidents in recent years in which fire tenders from distant stations took hours to reach Boniyar, by which time houses and shops were completely gutted. They said the recent devastating fire incidents in the area had once again exposed the urgent need for a permanent fire station. Community members and civil society representatives urged the government to take a long-term view and sanction a full-fledged fire station with adequate manpower and equipment. They said Boniyar, being a border tehsil with a growing population, cannot be left dependent on temporary arrangements. “The authorities must convert this temporary deployment into a permanent facility. Fire emergencies do not come with timelines,” said Irfan Ahmad, a local of Boniyar’s Trikanjan village. The residents appealed to the administration and the Fire and Emergency Services Department to address the issue on a priority basis to ensure the safety of lives and property in the region. However, Mohammad Arif Mir, Assistant Director, Fire and Emergency Services Command, Sopore, told Rising Kashmir that the fire tender has been deployed temporarily as part of winter preparedness measures. “It is not a permanent arrangement and will be withdrawn in March,” he said. Mir added that the establishment of a permanent fire station in the area requires approval from the Home Department. “A proposal in this regard has already been forwarded,” he said.