Delhi's 'Fire King'

Here’s another one for the technology buffs. This is the ‘Fire King’ a steam fire engine that was bought by the Delhi Municipality (now the Municipal Corporation of Delhi) in the early 1900s. Built in London, Merryweather & Sons Fire Engines were exported all across the world and one of these made its way to Delhi. 

 

Now, you might ask why this engine was bought and about the history of fire protection in Delhi, more generally. Disappointingly, I have little in the way of answers- just yet. 

 

Having said this, the ‘Fire King’ presents a window into understanding the functioning of the Delhi Municipality. The latter was a cash-strapped agency but with a huge appetite for urban planning. It often dreamt of showcasing modern technological marvels but was stumped when it actually came to paying for them or was stymied by the recommendations of other imperial departments.  This meant that sometimes technological or infrastructural projects were initiated but remained incomplete. So, in the 1870s for example, the Municipality spent money on new underground drains to alleviate drainage problems in Delhi but was told to stop by government agencies on the basis of cost effectiveness and counter recommendations by urban professionals. This became a regular feature of its work and one which exacerbated sanitary difficulties and urban renewal in Delhi, as I have written about in my book. 

 

In the same vein, the purchase of the steam fire engine followed a similar technological embrace. Whether or not Delhi’s fire services improved, there was a growth in the size of the municipal establishment and its technological machinery – the evidence we have in the form of the Fire King. 

 

See you next Friday.