The joint drill on disaster management conducted by the Mysore Division of the South Western Railway and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) here on Friday will help improve the skills of both the teams in conducting rescue and relief operations in case of disasters.
The drill assumes significance in view of the vast network of the Indian Railways and the high density of passenger trains on its network that calls for higher levels of preparedness to deal with any eventuality. “Higher density of traffic on Indian Railways over the years has called for a paradigm shift from the existing level of preparedness to a higher level of an effective management of disasters like accidents, etc.”, according to Divisional Railway Manager Rajkumar Lal. He said that the Railways was evolving an integrated plan to facilitate cohesive approach to comprehensively address all aspects of disaster management to boost public confidence.
Mr. Rajkumar Lal said the drill also helps ascertain the working condition of the critical equipment deployed during operations. According to a senior official, Accident Relief and Medical Vans (ARMV) have been deployed at important junctions in the Mysuru Division, including Arsikere, Mysuru, Shivamogga town, Sakleshpur, among others. Besides medical equipment and medical staff, it is equipped with various contraptions apart from a crane to lift coaches and the staff members are on a standby throughout the year.
