DW BUREAU / LUDHIANA Food, Civil supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu on Saturday dedicated modernized and advanced firefighting and rescue infrastructure in Ludhiana. Accompanied by Mayor Balkar Singh Sandhu, Senior Deputy Mayor Sham Sunder Malhotra, councillor Rakesh Prashar, Parminder Mehta, and others, the Cabinet Minister said that the state government has spent Rs 3.28 crore on purchasing hi-tech equipment including new mini fire tenders, materials, emergency lights and others under smart city scheme. Divulging further details, Bharat Bhushan Ashu said that four fabricated Tata Yodha fire tenders with a cost of Rs 88.64 lakh have been purchased to cover interior and narrow areas of the city. He said that water and foam would be used in these mini tenders to douse the flames. He said that a hi-tech pumping system has been installed in these four vehicles. Two Royal Enfield bullet motorcycles equipped with advanced firefighting technology have also been purchased especially for the congested lanes of the city. He said that three life detectors of Rs 66.02 lakh have also been made available which play a crucial role in rescuing living beings during disasters. He said that these detectors have a sensor that senses the human beings who are buried in the collapsed building and would help to save precious lives. Ashu further said that five thermal imaging cameras of Rs 41.79 lakh have also been provided to the fire brigade. He said that these cameras would help to see through smoke and monitor the fire's spread and would assist in making better planning to control the fire especially major hot spots hence precious lives would be saved with these vital tools. Congratulating the smart city team of Ludhiana, he said that Ludhiana has been ranked 37th on the list of Smart City rankings in the country from 54th ranking earlier. He said that the projects started under the smart city program has been ushering new-era of infrastructure development in Ludhiana. (editor@dailyworld.in)