The chinks in district administration preparedness to cope with crisis situation were exposed during the mock drill session organised by National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) through National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) on Thursday. The drill was focussed on situations like chemical disaster, fire hazard and earthquake.
The 53-member NDRF team along with volunteers of Red Cross Society city unit and Civil Defence, Rapid Action Force, city police and Indian Army unit based at Sonari were involved in the drill.
Sources said that during the drill they found that the emergency number like '100' was found not properly working in the district while calls to 101 (for fire brigade) also went unanswered several times.
The medical staff at the State-owned MGM Medical College and Hospital in Sakchi showed lack of enthusiasm towards treating victims rescued from mishap site while fuel storage unit at the airport was found to be not properly concealed and temperature was not maintained.
Colonel Sanjay Srivastava, advisor, state disaster management unit and State project officer of United Nations Development Programme, said that they have conducted the drill and will compile a report on its findings that would be shared with district administration so that they can draw lessons to prepare better for any emergencies.
He admitted that civil defence volunteers calls during mock-drill exercise to rescue victims during high-rise collapse after earthquake at the four-storey Red Cross Bhavan in Sakchi to the emergency number '100' always had busy tone or turned silent while the emergency number for fire brigade '101' went unanswered despite repeatedly trying .
"We are of the opinion that the administration has to ensure better functioning of emergency number as this is of vital importance during disaster," said Srivastava. He also expressed that Sonari aerodrome did not have lighting arrestor.
The mock drill exercise on leakage of toxic gases from an industrial unit (Tata Steel works) was also conducted. The advisor to State disaster management unit, suggested that mobile radiation detection systems inside the works which will show which gas and how much quantity was released in a specific direction and help in disaster management exercises.
The mock drill simulated the release of poisonous gases from an industrial unit (Tata Steel works), fire at a petroleum point at airport (Sonari Aerodrome) and the collapse of a highrise Red at Cross Building and rescue center at MGM Medical College and Hospital.
The move assumes significance in a city which has witnessed chlorine gas leakage from water treatment plant from Tata Motors creating panic amongst residents of Truck Park in Telco in May 2008 and mixture of gases in the lD-gas holder had led to auto-ignition had caused an explosion inside Tata Steel works causing one casualty and injury to 10 others in November 2013.
Members from 9th battalion of NDRF Patna had arrived in city along with necessary equipment and kits for the mock-drills.