Pune firemen, police forego Diwali with family for call of duty

Since he joined the fire brigade 18 years ago firefighter Chhagan More has never had a chance to celebrate Diwali with his dear ones He has to be alert day in and day out throughout the year but considering the spate of fire accidents during the festival of lights he has to be even more cautious to ensure the safety of more than 40 lakh citizens in Pune The firemen say they have no regrets about the job PicSachin Thakare More is just one of 500 firemen in the city who believe in celebrating their work instead of Diwali The firemen deployed at 11 fire stations across in the city believe that duty is above all While the rest of the city immerses itself in fiery celebrations they are busy attending to calls that report fire breakouts from stray crackers or rockets Fireman Chhagan Morersquos wife Kamal performs Laxmi Puja at their house while he is away at work PicSachin Thakare Fortyyearold More attached to the Bhavani Peth fire station and presently deployed at the firecracker stalls near Mhatre Bridge for the 29 pm shift says that although he misses his family members especially his kids nothing is more important when it comes to the call of duty And the family appreciates his dedication to the job ldquoMy family understands the nature of my work and my responsibilities My children proudly say that their father serves lakhs of residentsrdquo says More adding that even after the dayrsquos work his duty continues Sometime he has to attend to emergency calls throughout the night lsquoLike soldiersrsquo His colleague at Bhavani Peth fire station Kailash Shinde has a similar story to share He always misses the dawn of Diwali due to his night shifts ldquoI love Abhyanga Snana ceremonial oil bath on Diwali However I havenrsquot been able to enjoy one due to my night shifts during Diwalirdquo says 44yearold Shinde who thinks that ldquoa firemanrsquos duty is similar to that of a soldier guarding the borderrdquo making certain that his fellow countrymen are safe from harm ldquoMy mother sometimes complains about my absence on all the important festivals ont eh cvalendar However I try to make her understand that as ours is one of the essential services and we canrsquot shirk the responsibility we have been trusted withrdquo said Shinde who has been not spent one Diwali with his family members in 15 years Amid these stories one would consider fireman Satish Dakhave of Sinhagad Road fire station lucky Although he canrsquot celebrate Diwali but for the first time in over a decade he would get to celebrate Bhai Dooj which falls on Tuesday ldquoMy sister would be very happy as for the first time in the last 12 years I have invited her to my home on Tuesday morning to celebrate bhaidoojrdquo said 40yearold Dakhave Despite the disadvantages that come with the occupation the firemen say they have never regretted joining the fire brigade According to Dakhave he gets the utmost satisfaction when he sees tears of joy in the eyes of the people he saves from blazes Lifesavers There are 11 fire stations across Pune manned round the clock by around 500 firemen who work in three shifts In 2011 the fire brigade received 37 calls of emergency during the four days of Diwali festival In 2012 the number of calls the brigade received during Diwali was 55 This year in the last couple of days the brigade has received 15 calls of help We celebrate Diwali in a different way Cops Inspector Bhanupratap Barge Faraskhana police station Itrsquos been a few months since we got a breather We are on our toes since Ganeshotsav Now itrsquos Diwali followed by Muharram In short festivals mean added responsibility and extra duty for us During Narendra Modirsquos visit to the city we had to be extra cautious We have been working round the clock for at least 1213 hours a day without a leave You need to be ready even when you are at home so that you can leave the moment you are asked to report for work But all this is part and parcel of our job We are entitled for peoplersquos safety But at times our families feel bad when like others we arenrsquot there to celebrate festivals like others We are used to it My two sons are studying abroad and my wife understands my responsibility This helps me concentrate on my duty without feeling guilty of neglecting them Traffic Inspector Neelam Jadhav ShivajinagarDeccan Our Diwali goes away managing VIPs Itrsquos very difficult for all the policemen to get a holiday during this time as safety of citizens during festivals is our top priority I donrsquot choose to take leaves during the festival and my mother visits me I want officials with families to take an off so that they can be with their loved ones Currently Irsquom busy managing traffic at Deccan and Shivajinagar as these areas get clogged during festivities At times I end up working past midnight to regulate state transport buses which gets quite stressful But the happy faces in the buses heading home to be with their families are stressbusters and make up for the extended working hours Inspector Sushma Chavan of Crime Branch Since we have been entrusted with the responsibility of safeguarding the citizens itrsquos almost impossible for us to celebrate the festival with our families I was part of the team investigating a few highprofile murder cases for the last few months and have been in and out of the city ever since Even now we are tied up with Diwali and VIP security arrangements Some police stations fall in areas that get extremely crowded during festive season Where there is crowd antisocial elements like chain snatchers and pickpockets try to take advantage of the situation Hence we need to beef up security in such areas Most of the time we are out on duty during Diwali but thankfully our families understand our job I try to balance my personal and professional life by spending quality time with my family whenever Irsquom with them Swapnal Tilekar During the 4 days of Diwali 37 Number of calls the fire brigade received in 2011 55 Number of calls received in 2012 15 Number of calls received till yesterday during this Diwaliu00a0