'Follow standard operating procedure'

Gaya: Following incidents of fire in Gaya, Jehanabad, Aurangabad, Nawada and Arwal districts, the disaster management department (DMD) has directed officials to strictly follow the standard operating procedure (SOP).
According to DMD principal secretary Vyasji Mishra, the SOP, which was notified in the year 2010, mandates the physical presence of district collectors at the sites of major fire.While a compensation of Rs 4 lakh is paid immediately in case of death, a cash dole of Rs 3,000 is also provided for food. A sum of Rs 2000 is paid for clothes and another Rs 1800 for utensils destroyed in a fire. Some amount of money is also given as compensation for the loss of cattle and other property.
"Our department is trying to create awareness through pamphlets and other means of communication about the ways to prevent and fight fire," says Vyasji. tnn
Activist Brajnandan Pathak claims the rampant encroachment of water bodies in different parts of the Magadh division has made the fire fighting procedure more difficult and recommends the proper regulation of groundwater use.
Surprisingly, Gaya, with a population of 35 lakh people, has only 11 proper fire tenders. "There are only two drivers to man the four fire tenders stationed in the district headquarters, which means that the remaining two virtually remain redundant at any given point of time," fire brigade officer Hanuman Ram says, adding fire tenders have also been stationed at Bodh Gaya, Sherghati, Tekari and Neemchak Bathani subdivisional headquarters.