Ludhiana, Jan. 11 -- Almost two years after the installation of a fire detection and fighting system at the civil hospital here, the facility is still waiting for firemen to make it operational.

The installation of the system was completed in March 2024, and it has been lying unused ever since.

The system's installation began in 2018 and was stopped midway until a minor fire at the hospital in March 2024 brought the issue to the forefront, and the installation was hastily completed. However, the rules call for trained firefighters in the hospital to operate the system.

While the hospital can hire the firemen in the user charges category, it had to take permission from the Punjab Health Service Corporation (PHSC). The hospital authoriti...