The Delhi government plans to reserve lanes for ambulances and fire tenders to ensure their smooth transit in cases of emergency.
The plan is a throwback to 2010 when lanes were earmarked for athletes during the Commonwealth Games.
The lanes will be reserved only in times of emergencies, officials said. "The move is to strengthen the emergency response system in the city. Ambulances get stuck in traffic jams and fire tenders sometimes reach the spot late. We want to reserve lanes for fire tenders, ambulances and emergency service vehicles so that they promptly reach the affected people during any emergency," said Vijay Dev, chief of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA). The DDMA plans to discuss the proposals with police soon after it finishes finalising them.
According to the proposal, restrictions on the movement of other vehicles on the lanes will be in place only in times of emergencies.
The DDMA also plans to put in place an emergency public warning system comprising sirens installed at sites across the city. The sirens, Dev said, will be used to clear the dedicated lanes so that they can be used for emergency-response vehicles. "In that period, no other vehicle will be allowed on the lanes," added Dev.
On Thursday, the DDMA and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) rolled out their plans to conduct mock drills to check the preparedness of the medical sector to handle disasters. The mock drills, to be known as the Delhi Emergency Management Exercise (Demex), will be conducted in September and December.
{{/usCountry}}On Thursday, the DDMA and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) rolled out their plans to conduct mock drills to check the preparedness of the medical sector to handle disasters. The mock drills, to be known as the Delhi Emergency Management Exercise (Demex), will be conducted in September and December.
{{/usCountry}}"Before the mock drills are conducted, training will be provided by international faculty to doctors, nurses and PCR staff on handling various kinds of medical emergencies during disasters," added Dev. The DDMA will rope in resident welfare associations in this exercise.