Delhi to get first radiation-shielded underground CBRN command centre at new DFS HQ

Delhi is set to get its first underground Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) command centre at the new headquarters of the Delhi Fire Services, a first-of-its-kind facility aimed at significantly strengthening the capital’s preparedness for nuclear emergencies, chemical disasters and large-scale crises, an official said on Thursday.

A tender has been floated for the project, inviting bids for the construction of the new Delhi Fire Services (DFS) headquarters and the creation of specialised emergency-response infrastructure.

The proposed headquarters will house a plug-and-play underground CBRN command centre designed to remain operational during nuclear warfare, radiological leaks or chemical disasters.

Chief Fire Officer Abhilash Malik told PTI that the facility would be specially engineered to shield personnel from nuclear radiation and ensure uninterrupted coordination among multiple agencies during emergencies.

“This will be the first such CBRN command centre in the national capital. It is being designed in a way that radiation will not affect personnel inside, enabling effective command and coordination during critical situations,” Malik said.

He added that during disasters, the command centre would coordinate operations at the city’s three existing disaster centres at Nehru Place, Laxmi Nagar and Rohini, besides guiding the DFS Search and Rescue battalion.

The facility will be built at the site of the existing DFS headquarters and is expected is expected to be completed within five years.

The project forms part of the DFS’s 25-year action plan, which has been divided into immediate, medium-term and long-term targets to strengthen infrastructure, manpower and technology.

The DFS currently has 2,459 operational staff across 71 fire stations, far well below the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) norm of around 24,000 personnel and 120 fire stations, highlighting a significant gap in firefighting capacity.

To bridge this gap, the DFS plans to expand eight fire stations in the next six months at Sector-41 Rohini, Geeta Colony, Anand Parbat, Yamuna Vihar, Dwarka Sector-3, Dwarka Sector-20, IFC Narela and Budhanpur Majra.

Land for these projects has already been acquired and work has begun.

The department also plans to add eight fire stations every year to eventually reach the target of 120 stations.

Nine additional sites have been identified with the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) in Rohini Sector-27, Rohini Sector-36, Rohini Sector-II, Rohini Sector-35, Sultanpuri, Mahipalpur, Pitampura, Sarai Rohilla and Golden Park on Rohtak Road. The DFS has sought the handover of these sites from the DDA.

The DFS has also requested land allocation at 14 other locations under DDA’s zonal plans, including Burari or Jagatpur village, Fatehpur Jat, Karala, Inderlok/Dayabasti, Mundka Industrial Area, Sonia Vihar Sabhapur, Karawal Nagar Industrial Area, Mandoli Industrial Area, Jharoda village, Mundela or Dhansa village, Kapashera, Meethapur or Jaitpur, Dera village-Chhattarpur Road crossing and Aya Nagar.

In addition, under DDA’s urbanisation plan for 48 villages, the DFS has requested the Divisional Commissioner of Revenue to allot land for 28 more fire stations. Two locations –” Nizampur in northwest Delhi and Mundhela Kalan in southwest Delhi — have already been confirmed.

“Currently we don’t have fire stations in several areas, which leads to delays as fire tenders have to travel longer distances to reach the incident spot,” Malik said.

Besides expanding infrastructure, the department is also planning a major increase in manpower.

Malik said a proposal seeking approval for 12,174 additional staff for the DFS has been sent to the General Directorate of Civil Defence (Fire Prevention Department -“ Safety Systems Division) and is likely to be vetted within a week before being forwarded to the Delhi government.

The proposal aims to meet manpower requirements for the existing 71 fire stations and also ensures that staff strength is sanctioned simultaneously whenever a new fire station becomes operational.

The MHA prescribes 131 personnel for each fire station. In the long run, the DFS plans to build an operational strength of 48,000 personnel working in eight-hour shifts over the next 25 years.

The DFS also plans significant technological upgrades. Within a year, it aims to establish a centralised command and control centre equipped with Artificial Intelligence (AI), GPS and GIS-based systems, along with separate command centres in each of the five DFS zones.

Within the next two years, the DFS plans to begin analysing the use of drones for surveillance and later firefighting operations. Over the next five years, it aims to deploy drones capable of transmitting live video feeds directly to command centres.

“These drones will be dispatched as soon as a call is received, even before the fire tenders move out. This will help assess the situation beforehand,” Malik said.

Within 10 years, the DFS plans to integrate the drones with the Internet of Things (IoT)-based Automated Continuous Monitoring System (ACMS), which is mandated in specified buildings to digitally monitor fire prevention and life safety systems in real time.

Once an alert is triggered through the IoT-based ACMS, drones will be dispatched immediately, enabling faster situational assessment and response.

The DFS has also submitted a proposal to procure 320 firefighting appliances, including aerial ladder platforms and turntable ladders, to strengthen firefighting operations in high-rise buildings.