Legacy secure, DFS looks for modernity

The Delhi govt has allocated 110 crore for the reconstruction of the DFS hq, which has stood untouched since the 1960s

- Hemani Bhandari

Every morning, Harinder Jeet Singh woke to the urgent clang of the fire bell echoing through the residential quarters behind the Connaught Place fire station. That bell, a sharp summons for fire tenders to rush into the city's chaos, was the background score of his childhood. Now 62, Singh was born and raised in those quarters, the son of Joginder Singh, a fireman in the 1960s who served in what was then still a young and evolving force.

Fire, he said, runs in the family blood.

In 1984, Harinder followed in his father's footsteps into the Delhi Fire Service (DFS), joining as a young recruit and eventually rising to become a mobilising officer, stationed at the control room in DFS Headquarters. He retired two years ago, his entire working life spent within the walls of a twostorey building tucked a block away from Connaught Place-a building now poised to vanish.

After years of deliberation, the DFS headquarters will finally be razed to the ground.

In her budget speech on March 25, Delhi's new chief minister Rekha Gupta allocated 110 crore for the reconstruction of the building, which has stood untouched since the 1960s.

During a visit to the site on April 25, she reaffirmed her government's commitment.

"The government has taken a significant and sensitive decision to approve the construction of a new, modern building," she said, announcing that work would begin shortly in a 2504 crore overhaul.

A fire department official confirmed that the proposal is currently with the Public Works Department (PWD), which must prepare the architectural drawings before sending them for approval to the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC).

"The drawing is yet to be prepared," the official said.

"Even if the process is expedited, it will likely take six months to a year before the current building is finally demolished." The news has sparked a sense of cautious optimism in the fire service community.