Disaster of a management
We can never be too prepared and if we are, there is definitely something wrong. The active participation of volunteers during the mega mock exercise in response to the hypothetical situation of an earthquake on March 10 was impressive. Blaring sirens, alert ears, streamlined traffic and loads of action…bring it on; we are ready to face it!
Is all this with the hope of tackling nature’s fury when it strikes hard? One wonders the impact of such preparedness if in another hypothetical situation, hospitals and fire stations are first hit in an earthquake. But what happens when it’s no longer in the jocular vein and real crisis strikes with nothing ‘mock’ about it.
Well, the same lethargic response is in store! The massive fire at Mawbah in the wee hours of March 11, a day after Disaster management was put to test, failed to garner attention. The response unit here seems to be prepared for a crisis when the earth shakes, not when smoke billows. With so much of a hype generated over the levels of preparedness, it’s a shame to know that it was only 20 minutes after the fire started, that the first fire tender appeared.
Even the MeECL took over 25 minutes to cut the power lines. They were possibly equally surprised as to how a short circuit could even happen amidst all the load shedding!
Residents also complained that there was no response from the emergency helpline numbers 100 and 101. We can only pray that after the pending electricity dues, at least the telephone bills are being cleared by the patriotic lot. If anyone in the State was convinced that we are prepared for calamities, it’s time to do a recheck on the logistics.
The first hint of a massive mock drill raised eyebrows of many who felt that the drill was a part of finishing certain ‘calculations’ before the end of the financial year.
Kudos to the GVK EMRI 108 team which responded promptly! That’s an example of being on your toes at all times.
Subscriber not reachable
Congestion is synonymous not just to traffic in the city but also to the various cellular phone networks which seem to give a slip when they are most sought after. Misleading announcements like “the number you are trying is currently switched off” to “all channels in this route are busy” are met with enormous disbelief by people we are trying to reach.
They would unfailingly contest the fact that the call could not be completed for the cell phone was neither busy, nor switched off.
While people argue and doubt each other over such statements, the circumstances which lead to such fallacies are often not decoded. An official of a particular cellular network service has reasoned that the current load shedding is taking a toll on their services, for, in the absence of power backups, the services are interrupted leading to inconveniences to customers.
Others reasoned that hilly terrains like Meghalaya require more coverage than is available but higher maintenance costs mean that the companies are not particularly tilted to make the necessary changes in a hurry.
Whatever the reason be, calling a pal or anyone for that matter in that hour of need has become subject to terms and conditions that bank more on luck than in the finer technicalities.