The Directorate of Civil Defence (DCD), which carried out safety drills across the state last week following Indo-Pakistan tensions, has sought establishment of Civil Defence units in all districts of the state for better coordinatio.
Currently, only eight districts in the state, primarily those along the coastline, have Civil Defence units. The official said having more units would mean extra manpower, which can be diverted to any place in case of an emergency.
This, along with various other reinforcements including filling up of vacancies and advanced alarm systems, have been sought by the Directorate of Civil Defence so as to improve efficiency in the face of any emergency-like situation in the future.
An official said since the role of the Civil Defence had not been highlighted as they were during the recent drills, several of the reinforcements sought by them had been pending before the government.
“However, this time around, the government seems positive in the aftermath of what transpired. We are hoping that the reinforcements sought by us will approved,” said the official.
The official said they have also sought filling up of the vacancies at the Directorate which hardly has 150 people working for 450 posts.
The official added that they are also in talks with the government to upgrade the emergency sirens, several of which are not working, and replace them with the ones using more advanced systems.
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The official said the government has also approved the inclusion of civil defence in the academic curriculum of the Mumbai University to train students from college-level.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
