PONDA: Despite more than 12 years since Dharbandora was notified as a taluka, the taluka still does not have a dedicated fire station and a hearse van.
Locals have demanded that the government should deliver these services on a priority basis. The government has set up most of the offices in the taluka such as deputy collector’s office, mamlatdar’s office, block development office, public works department office and agriculture office. However, the fire station and a hearse van remain a distant facility for the locals.
If there is an incident of fire at Kulem, Mollem, Sacorda and other panchayats in Dharbandora, locals have to depend on the fire service vehicles from Ponda, Valpoi and Curchorem. Last year, vegetation on many hillocks in Mollem caught fire and fire trucks from distant places had to be called in to put off the blazes.
Kulem police also struggle, when there is an accidental death in the taluka, since they do not have a hearse van to carry the body.
