Jammu, Oct 19: “Fire destroys 40 houses in Warwan area of Kishtwar.”
“8 houses gutted in Warwan blaze.”
Screaming headlines from Warwan and any other place across Union Territory create trepidation among thousands of inhabitants of Bani tehsil headquarters spread across over 33 villages in Kathua district as a dreadful thought crosses their mind – It may happen to us even, anytime!
They, in particular, share empathy with the Warwan inhabitants, who in the past few years have witnessed such destruction, a number of times.
Comparative empathy is not out of place.
Reason being, both Warwan in Kishtwar district and Bani tehsil in Kathua district – remotely placed treacherous areas, do not have a fire station or even a locally stationed fire tender – a demand being made and ignored for long now.
If for Warwan in Kishtwar district, fire tender comes traversing a distance of over 80 kms from Kokernag in Anantnag district of Kashmir, in Bani tehsil of Kathua district, the distance even stretches further to around 155 kms.
In case of any fire or emergency incident in Bani tehsil, Fire and Emergency Services station in district headquarter Kathua, situated at around 155 kms away, is the nearest available station to respond to (emergency) situation or deploy even fire tender.
And this is not mere allegation by the inhabitants; the assertion has come straight from the horse’s mouth.
Directorate of Fire and Emergency Services (F&ES), J&K, itself, has made this admission in response to an application filed under Right to Information (RTI) Act by a social activist of the area, Mudasar Ali, regarding fire and emergency services and availability of fire tenders in Bani tehsil of Kathua district.
As per reply furnished by the Director, F&ES, J&K on October 7, 2026, in response to Mudasar Ali’s RTI application registration number FIREE/R/2026/60027 dated August 31, 2026, there is no Fire & Emergency Services Station presently established or stationed in tehsil Bani, district Kathua.
“No fire tender of this department is presently stationed or deployed in tehsil Bani. Accordingly, no fire tender registration number, date of deployment or operational status is applicable,” the Directorate mentioned in response to a query regarding details of fire tenders, fire service vehicles presently deployed or stationed in Tehsil Bani.
When asked if no fire tender is permanently stationed in tehsil Bani, what is location of the nearest Fire & Emergency Services Station from which fire tenders are dispatched to Bani during emergencies, the Directorate has replied that F&ES Station Kathua is the nearest Fire and Emergency Services Station to Tehsil Bani, being situated at a distance of approximately 155 kms from Bani.
“In case of any fire or emergency incident in tehsil Bani, F&ES Station Kathua is the nearest available Fire and Emergency Services Station for responding to the emergency,” it has been maintained.
“F&ES Station Kathua is responsible for responding to fire calls received from tehsil Bani and for deployment of available fire-fighting resources in case of any fire emergency, as per operational requirements and availability of resources,” the Directorate F&ES, J&K informs.
In response to a query about details of the number of fire incidents reported in tehsil Bani during the financial years 2021-22 to 2025-26, year-wise and the number of fire tenders dispatched in response to such incidents, if such information is maintained, the Directorate mentions that as per the report furnished by the in-charge, F&ES Station Kathua, no fire tender was deputed for any fire incident in tehsil Bani during the period from April, 2021 to April, 2026.
“However, F&ES Station Kathua has attended a number of deployments relating to fire-safety arrangements in tehsil Bani from time to time, as required,” it has been stated.
However, as per the reply, a proposal for establishing 102 new Fire and Emergency Stations is presently under consideration, which also includes the proposal of Fire and Emergency Station Bani and is under process.
“No fire station or fire tender has been sanctioned and made operational at Bani as on date (October 7, 2026). The proposal for establishment of a Fire and Emergency Services Station at Bani is, however, presently awaiting government sanction,” reads the reply to a query about “any Government order, sanction order, proposal, correspondence, inspection report or other official communication regarding establishment of a Fire Station in Bani; deployment or provision of a fire tender in Bani; construction or provision of infrastructure for Fire and Emergency Services in Bani.
Himanshu Gandotra, Deputy Director, Command Officer, Fire and Emergency Services, Samba-Kathua, as per the Directorate’s reply, is the designated authority for arranging and coordinating fire-fighting services in district Kathua including tehsil Bani in case of any fire or emergency.
Social activist and applicant under RTI Act, Mudasar Ali points out that the residents of Bani tehsil in district Kathua have long been demanding for the establishment of a fire service station in the area.
The residents allege that despite repeatedly highlighting the issue over the years, there has been no positive response from the government so far.
The locals maintain that during recent years, they have suffered property losses worth crores, due to the absence of a fire service station.
Despite several fire mishaps reported frequently in the sub-region, the government has failed to set up even a single fire station, leaving the population exposed and helpless, they lament.
“Had there been a fire station in our area, the damage could have been less,” Mudasar Ali asserts.
Bani is a snow-bound and hilly region, where more than 90 percent of the houses are made of wood and tin sheets—making them highly vulnerable to fire incidents.
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