As New Delhi tries hard to allay concerns over the security of players and visitors during the Commonwealth Games 2010, organisations like the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation have begun training their staff to deal with exigencies.
While the organisation is busy sprucing up its image – teaching its staff to converse in English and put on their best behaviour – it is also focussing disaster management training.
According to DMRC officials, the staff deputed at metro stations and on board the trains will be trained to deal with situations emerging out of a terror attack or even mishaps like a fire.
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“There is a compilation called hot protocol that is put together by the security department of DMRC which is like a handbook for emergencies. The staff, especially in the operations department, are given this guidebook to refer to in case of any emergency,” said a DMRC spokesperson.
The guidebook apart, DMRC is aggressively training its staff on the basics of first-aid, fire-fighting, red-alert and disaster management. “First-aid and fire-fighting assumes much importance in DMRC owing to the critical nature of the organisation functioning and infrastructure. This time we are also focussing on how to handle a situation arising out of a bomb blast or a chemical attack,” the spokesperson said.
Metro Citizens Forum, a group of volunteers that helps DMRC instil good behaviour and discipline among commuters, will also be at the forefront of the Commonwealth Games preparedness. “The number of volunteers has increased to over 300. Workshops on disaster management and fire safety have been organised by DMRC specifically for these volunteers so that they can play a major role in ensuring commuter safety during the Commonwealth Games, 2010,” the spokesperson said.
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To ensure there are no slip ups and faux pas while communicating with the visitors, the DMRC is also putting their Customer Relation Assistants (CRAs) through lesson in the Queen’s language. “We are imparting English speaking training to the staff particularly the CRAs who will be at constantly interacting with visitors. We expect a large turnout of foreign nationals during the Games and to ensure their travel on the metro is smooth we are making sure that the staff is well trained, groomed and equipped,” the spokesperson said.
The staff will also be equipped to handle queries from passengers (visitors) about the metro, the stations and the immediate surroundings. “The staff will have to remain aware about the main locations, bus routes, information about hotels, restaurants and hospitals near their respective metro stations so that they can provide all the necessary information the visitors,” the spokesperson said.
The metro will offer easy passage to the Commonwealth Games venues as it provides connectivity to 10 out of 11 venues of the Commonwealth Games. They include the Games Village, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Delhi University, Thyagaraj Complex, Siri Fort Sports Complex, National Stadium, Indira Gandhi Sports Complex, Talkotora Indoor Stadium,Yamuna Sports Complex and R. K. Tennis Complex.
Three Commonwealth Games venues – the Games Village, the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and Delhi University – will have direct access to metro stations. The Games Village, where most athletes will reside, is adjacent to the Akshardham metro station on the Indraprastha-New Ashok Nagar line.