The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has asked the Maharashtra State Disaster Control Cell to manage bystanders and onlookers better during disasters in a crowded city like Mumbai, to ensure speedy and effective rescue operations.
The NDRF, which wrote to the cell five days after the building collapse incident in Dongri, said it is becoming very difficult to work during building collapses or other natural calamities with local people blocking the road and creating nuisance during rescue operations.
The NDRF has even cited an example from Dongri, where initially they could not hear voices of trapped people due to the loud noise from the surrounding area and from bystanders. “They were able to hear the voices only after onlookers left following two heavy spells of rain,” an official from the disaster control cell said.
“At the time of every disaster, local people gather at the place of mishap and block the road, creating chaos in the surrounding area, which hampers the rescue operation. Many of them are busy filming it on their mobile phones,” the official said. Many a time, local people want to help the rescue teams and they do, but since they are not trained, it unnecessarily creates chaos, he said.
The disaster control cell has forwarded the letter to all municipal corporations across the State, the Director General of Police and the Mumbai Police commissioner to ensure better crowd management during such events.
Kishor Raje Nimbalkar, secretary, Relief and Rehabilitation Department, confirmed that the department has received the letter. “Crowd management is possible only if local police officers, who are actually on the ground and manage the crowd to maintain the law and order situation, are trained and well informed about the situation,” Mr. Nimbalkar said.
