Fire services are a municipal function, yet ULBs lack the capacity to deliver them. Suggest institutional reforms.

The 74th Amendment places fire services in the Twelfth Schedule (Article 243W), which makes them a municipal matter. Yet they remain a State subject [2]. In November 2026 an overnight fire gutted more than a dozen shanties near Srinagar [1]. It showed that urban fire risk is highest where municipal capacity is weakest. Closing this gap needs institutional redesign, not just more fire tenders.

Why ULBs fall short

• Funds skip the city: The 15th Finance Commission recommended ₹5,000 crore for fire services, drawn from the NDRF preparedness window [3]. This money flows to State fire services, not ULBs. States must add 25% (10% for North-Eastern and Himalayan States) [4].
• Split accountability: The ULB controls building permits and lanes. The State controls the fire engines. The Centre controls the money. After each fire, blame is spread across all three.
• Slow delivery: Payments come in instalments, each tied to a Utilisation Certificate [4]. Only ₹757.39 crore had reached 18 States by early 2025 [2]. By January 2026, about 36% of the outlay had been released [5].
• Settlement design: Shanties are densely packed and flammable. Their narrow lanes keep fire tenders out [1].

Institutional reforms

• Clear laws: States should pass fire-service laws based on the MHA's Model Fire and Emergency Service Bill. These should split ULB and State roles clearly. The scheme's ₹500 crore reform incentive [4] should reward States that do this.
• City fire authorities: Million-plus cities should have a metropolitan fire service answerable to the city government. The State fire service would set standards and run training, using the expansion component for State training centres [4].
• Money that reaches the city: State Finance Commissions should set aside fire-safety grants for ULBs. Part of the Central funds should go directly to cities.
• Results-based monitoring: The MHA should publish State-wise data on fire stations built and response times before it extends the scheme beyond 2025-26 [5].
• Linking with slum upgrading: Under PMAY-Urban, upgraded settlements should have lanes wide enough for a fire tender, non-flammable materials and community fire points. UN-Habitat names upgrading housing and services as the way to reduce risk in informal settlements [6].
• Enforcement: ULBs should carry out fire audits under NBC Part 4, backed by third-party certification and trained community fire wardens.

The capacity gap is institutional, not only financial: money, powers and staff sit at different levels of government. Bringing them together at the city level would make the 74th Amendment work as intended. It would also advance SDG 11.5 and the Sendai Framework, so that the urban poor are protected before the next fire.