Visakhapatnam: Though Vizag is poised to be a Smart City and many high rises are coming up at various places, the fire services are functioning according to archaic requirements.

Unable to tackle the pressure, fire and emergency service officials in the city had requested the state government to set up at least five stations under the city limits, but the proposal remains on paper.

The fire and emergency service department in Vizag city has been facing a host of issues; the main problem being not having enough fire stations. As per the National Fire Advisory report, there should be one fire tender for a population of every 50,000. Going by this estimation, for a population of over 20 lakh in Vizag, there is a need for 42 fires stations, but has only thr-ee at Suryabagh,

Kancharapalem and Pedagantyada since 1942, and these are grossly insufficient. “We have submitted a proposal to the government for establishing fire stations in all constituencies in Vizag,” said an officer.