Now, better gear worth 12 cr to save lives

NASHIK: The district KumbhMela samiti has approved the proposal to procure all the equipment required for disaster management that will not only add to the relief and rescue measures but also ensure that the city and the district are better equipped in disaster mitigation.
The committee headed by the Nashik collector having drawn the requirements from the offices concerned including the police, the railways, the fire brigade, the water resource department and the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC), has finally okayed the Rs 12-crore proposal for the equipment that would be required in case of a disaster.
Nashik is an industrial town nestled in the laps of Sahyadris and has one of the busiest railway route passing through besides two major national highways. Considering the growth of the city and the areas prone to natural calamities including heavy rainfall, landslides (in Igatpuri, Trimbakeshwar), floods (Godavari river), ghats (Chandwad and Kasara - in Thane district) called for better safety, security measures but also for disaster mitigation plans.
The committee has cleared the purchase of jumping cushions that will save lives of people who jump down a fifteen-storey building in case of fire, mini hydraulic rescue kit capable of lifting or cutting the train bogey in case of accidents, a lifting bags set to lift heavy vehicles in cases of accidents in which victims need to be immediately rescued.
"The committee has decided to float a tender for the supply of fire fighting equipment for which the companies will have to provide demonstrations and ensure the servicing required for a valid period of time," said Prashant Waghmare, district disaster management officer.
The new disaster management equipment being bought through the Kumbh funds for the first time in the district will not only help during the Kumbh Mela, but also in the long run considering the exposure of the district to natural as well as man-made calamities.
"In case of accidents, it obviously takes a long time for heavy cranes to reach the site and rescue the victims. It is here that these equipment will be useful. These also add to the fact that the city is now being connected with high speed lanes from all sides, which will add to the pressure on traffic and the disaster management office will be much better equipped with the new equipments," another official from the district collectorate said.
The tender for the same will be floated in the next month and this will be followed with the demonstration of the equipments by the suppliers and a training for using the equipment.
The committee has decided to float a tender for the supply of fire fighting equipment for which the companies will have to provide demonstrations and ensure the servicing required for a valid period of time