LALITPUR: The fire station operated by the Lalitpur Metropolitan City has been struggling to provide service for want of adequate manpower.

The station has been operating with only a team of four to five fire fighters against the standard group of at least nine-member manpower for a shift.

“The metropolis has a total of 11 employees for the station including one permanent employee and other contracted ones, and only a group of four to five fire fighters are available for a shift due to the shift adjustment, two shifts a day in the morning and the evening,” said the Municipal Police Chief Kadam Lal Maharjan.

"As a result, a single worker is forced to do multiple tasks resulting in lack of quality work due to various reasons," he said.

The Metropolis has four fire engines at present.