Walkie-talkie sets for BMC officials to tackle emergencies at Deonar dumping ground

According to the BMC, the walkie-talkies will be given to the officials concerned and engineers of the dumping ground so that they will be able to remain connected 24x7 in case of any untoward incident.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to procure 27 walkie-talkie sets for its officials to tackle emergencies at Deonar dumping ground.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to procure 27 walkie-talkie sets for its officials to tackle emergencies at Deonar dumping ground. (Kunal Patil/HT photo)

According to the BMC, the walkie-talkies will be given to the officials concerned and engineers of the dumping ground so that they will be able to remain connected 24x7 in case of any untoward incident.

A BMC official, on condition of anonymity, said, “The plan to buy walkie-talkies is one of the solutions that was chalked out to improve internal communication for officials and engineers involved in the day to day operations of the Deonar dumping ground.”

In the past, there have been several fire incidents at the Deonar dumping ground. The walkie-talkies will help tackle the problem of low network coverage there, said the official.

“These walkie-talkies will act as a useful means of communication at the time when an official falls sick or there is a fire accident at the dumping ground.”

The civic body dumps around 450 metric tonnes of waste everyday at the Deonar dumping ground.

In April 2013 , the Bombay high court (HC) directed the civic body to close down the dumping grounds at Deonar and Mulund within three months, stating that the civic body did not have a plant to treat the waste generated at these places.

The BMC later decided to convert the Deonar dumping ground into an energy plant.