JOIN USManned by civil defence officials, Delhi will soon have quick reaction team vehicles parked at strategic locations for immediate response in case of any emergency situation, like building collapse, major accident and natural disaster.
According to information, 10 Toyota Innova cars will be at the disposal of Delhi Disaster Management Authority, while 26 more will be requisitioned so that one quick reaction team (QRT) vehicle could be allotted to each of the 36 sub-divisions.
“We will get 10 vehicles in about a day or two. All the nine revenue districts will have one vehicle each. And one vehicle will be kept at the disposal of the revenue headquarters in Civil Lines area,” said Vijay Dev, principal secretary (revenue).
“In all, we plan to have 36 Toyota Innova cars so that every sub-division can have one QRT,” added Dev.
Unlike the police control room vans, the QRT vehicles will be multi-purpose automobiles which can be used for search and rescue as well as transportation, an official said.
“The vehicles will have a firefighting system as well as lighting pole to illuminate dark patches besides medical facilities and TETRA satellite communication system. The aim is to make them truly emergency vehicles, which can deal with such situations,” said Dev.
He added that 1077, the national disaster number, will remain the calling number for these vehicles.
Dev said there is a sanctioned strength of 69,000 civil defence volunteers in the city and 22, 355 of these have been trained in disaster management.
“The trained volunteers will further train others and we will soon have a strong committed force of trained people in disaster management. Two volunteers will be put in charge of one vehicle that will be available 24x7,” said the official, adding the volunteers are paid by the city government.
President’s recognition
Eighty-year-old retired schoolteacher, V K Malhotra along with Ashok Kumar, inspecting officer have been chosen for President’s Home Guards and Civil Defence Medal on Independence Day for distinguished services.
Dev said Malhotra has been with the civil defence since last 60 years and has even worked during the 1962 Indo-China war. “They are the unsung heroes,” Dev added.