KOCHI: The state police, having rescued 3.8 lakh people during the recent flood with a hectic and demanding operation, would acknowledge the words of praise from Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
But the general feeling across rank and file of the force is that they could have done a better job, had they were briefed on the task on hand and how to go about it in advance. On the contrary, they were clueless while going into the mission after being kept in the dark until August 16.
It was then, during an emergency meeting chaired by the CM, that the police were asked to take the lead role in the rescue act. Even then, they found themselves without enough boats, life jackets and walkie-talkies.
The operation was by and large handled by the Revenue as well as Fire and Rescue Services departments until then, with limited manpower. State Police Chief Loknath Behera said even though his team remained alert and was into routine precautionary activities since the dams’ shutters were opened on August 9, it took control of the entire rescue operation as per a key government decision.
Police officers say there was a lack of clarity in approach
“Fire and Rescue Services was the specified agency for rescue works. It was as per a specific order that we took over the entire rescue operation. Had we got the required resources, we could’ve managed the situation better. However, with available facilities and time frame, the police personnel did a highly appreciable job,” said Behera.
A police officer said there was lack of clarity. “Boats were arranged by our force only on August 16 evening. There was no proper flood forecast, even in high-risk areas,” he said.“The moment we received a message from the top, we started mobilising boats. But it took a while because they were sourced from Kannur (25) and Ponnani (15),” said another officer.
“It was only after repeated pleas the district administration provided 50 life jackets and three search lights to a 1,000-strong police force for rescue work in rural areas,” said a senior police officer in Ernakulam, adding the initial alert was that water would rise only up to one metre along the banks. “All our calculations went haywire when water rose to six-seven feet, that too within two hours,” he said.Thrissur Range Inspector General M R Ajith Kumar said the officers in that district as well as Ernakulam were put on alert right from August 11.
Ernakulam rural police chief Rahul R Nair said “though the force was on alert, they never had the time to react as water rose to alarming level within hours.”Former state police chief Jacob Punnoose said cops play a bigger role during emergency situations of this magnitude.
“Police with more ground-level activities should be prepared well in advance to deal with these kind of disasters which we should anticipate. If police properly coordinate various activities including evacuation, rescue, relief and rehabilitation, it’ll help achieve the desired results much faster,” he added.