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Whither disaster management?

KT NEWS SERVICE. Dated: 7/12/2013 12:21:22 AM

SRINAGAR, Jul 11: The fire incident in the Civil Secretariat, considered to be the nerve centre of administration, also exposed the preparedness of the disaster management cell, if at all it existed in the (civil secretariat) complex as crucial first hour was lost in the absence of well equipped fire tender at the site of fire accident.
According to eye witnesses’ reports and versions of the state government employees present on the occasion, the fire, which started anytime between 8.30-9.00 AM could not be contained till 10.26 AM when the fire tenders arrived on the scene and took control of the situation.
The precious time lost created precarious situation for the fire fighters as the fire in the wooden structure building had spread and engulfed the entire archaic structure.
According to state government employees, who were present in the civil secretariat, the only fire tender of old model present in the civil secretariat had hardly enough water to contain the fire.
The second fire tender reached the spot at around 9.45 AM but since it was yet again not a fire tender well-equipped with advanced fire-fighting facilities as is used in the mock drill operation, it also failed to effectively deal with the fast spreading fire. Finally, the modern and new fire tenders reached the spot at around 10.26 AM and started fire fighting from different directions.
It took nearly 2 hours to control the fire in a two-storey wooden annexe next to the main secretariat, housing offices of the Higher Education Department, Planning Department and the Director of Treasury and Accounts among others.
According to the employees, the incident yet again betrayed the hollowness of haughty claims of the ruling dispensation about its preparedness vis-à-vis disaster management.
“Had this fire erupted after 9.30 AM, when the employees are inside the secretariat, it would have been disastrous resulting into loss of lives as well in the absence of disaster management system in place,” stated an employee.