BMC security staff train like paramilitary, Army soldiers

Prakash Salunkhe, Deputy Chief Security Officer (training center), said, “The guards will be provided various levels of training, including the Army module, in which the guards will be trained in gunnery, handling of arms and ammunition, team building and strategy, among other skills. Similarly, the SRPF module will focus on teaching them mob-psychology and crowd dispersement”.

He said that in addition to the three modules, the guards would have to undergo an intense “civic security training, which will equip them with various civic-related security procedures and apprise them about the BMC Acts related to security”.

The NDRF module will help train the guards for search, rescue and evacuation of victims during floods and building collapses, and nuclear, biological, chemical and radioactive reactions. Civic officials said a decision to give such intensive training to the guards came after a series of incidents such as the July 2005 deluge, 26/11 terror attacks and some major building collapses.

The training of the 968 personnel recently recruited by the BMC security staff, which began on January 20, will end on May 15. The sessions are being conducted in various batches at the SRPF training centre in Pokhran (Thane), NDRF training centre at Talegaon, Army training centre at Jogeshwari and the BMC’s training centre in Bhandup.
sharvari.patwa@expressindia.com