Govt looks at small vehicles for better disaster response

The Delhi government is planning to purchase small vehicles to act as part of a quick reaction team to avert repeats of east Delhi’s Lalita Park building collapse and Walled City’s Chandni Mahal, where rescue operations were hampered by narrow and congested lanes resulting in the loss of many lives.

The Delhi government is planning to purchase small vehicles to act as part of a quick reaction team to avert repeats of east Delhi’s Lalita Park building collapse and Walled City’s Chandni Mahal, where rescue operations were hampered by narrow and congested lanes resulting in the loss of many lives.

In case of any emergency, these vehicles will be pressed into action for getting into narrow lanes.

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The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) has proposed to purchase 38 such vehicles at an approximate cost of Rs 3.2 crore. According to a senior Delhi government official, these vehicles will be fitted with necessary disaster management tools and given a special look for easy recognition.

“A need for procuring such vehicles was felt for long, and in the mega mock drill in February, an audit conducted by army observers also highlighted this issue. There are many areas in the city with narrow lanes where fire tenders can’t enter,” said a senior Delhi government official.

The government has proposed to buy vehicles with power steering to ensure they can be easily manoeuvred in small and congested areas.

These vehicles will be manned by civil defence volunteers. They will also be fitted with life detection machines to be used during any building collapse to find out if anyone is buried in the debris. Handheld fire extinguishers will also help in taking care of fire incidents. Four such vehicles will be provided in each district.