Take steps to establish a fire station at Erumapatti panchayat union, demand residents

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A view of the Erumapatti Town in Namakkal district in Tamil Nadu. | Photo Credit: LAKSHMI NARAYANAN E.

Residents of the Erumapatti panchayat union in the Namakkal district have demanded to establish a fire station in their locality.

Erumapatti panchayat union, situated 20 km away from Namakkal town, houses more than 1.30 lakh residents and 77,019 voters. The majority of the residents are involved in farming and cattle rearing. During unforeseen circumstances such as fire accidents or cattle falling into farm wells, the firefighters associated with the Fire and Rescue Services must come from Namakkal. Since it takes more time for the firefighters to reach the villages in Erumapatti panchayat union, the residents have demanded a fire station in Erumapatti.

Social activist I. Rasul Khan stated that there are more than 40,000 farmers residing in Erumapatti panchayat union, with most of them rearing cattle. Additionally, as the Kolli Hills forest is near to Erumapatti, there have been instances where deer have fallen into farm wells and snakes, especially python, entering houses located near the forest. During such times, firefighters reaching the spot is delayed due to the distance.

Mr. Khan added that, for instance, if a cattle falls into a farm well in Pavuthram Pudur village in the union, the firefighters from Namakkal must travel 24 km to reach the village. This delay can lead to the death of the cattle. “In the past eight months, more than 10 incidents of cattle falling into farm wells have been reported,” he said, urging the State government to consider establishing a fire station at Erumapatti. People expected that the State government would announce a fire station in Erumapatti in the recently-concluded Assembly session, but no announcement was made, Mr. Khan added.

Officials attached to the Fire and Rescue Services said there were 14 incidents reported in Erumapatti panchayat Union from January 1 to July 31, including cattle or deer falling into the farm wells and snakes entering houses. In these incidents, eight cattle and pets were rescued alive and one calf died in an incident reported in Pottireddipatti on May 20, 2026. Likewise, a deer that fell into a farm well at Valayapatti was rescued alive on January 4, 2026. Four snakes that entered into houses were caught by the department in the last seven months, the officials added.

When contacted, Senthamangalam MLA P. Chandrasekar said that the demand for a fire station has been taken to the attention of the government and steps will be taken to establish it..

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