BHUBANESWAR: Ahead of the Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath in Puri on Thursday, the Fire and Emergency Services wing has put in place a comprehensive response plan to deal with fire incidents, road accidents, stampede-like situations and drowning cases during the annual congregation of devotees.
Director general of Fire Service Sudhanshu Sarangi and IG Umashankar Dash have reviewed the ground-level preparedness, identifying seven key areas of intervention focused on fire prevention, rescue operations and crowd management along Bada Danda and other sensitive areas in the town.
These include measures for immediate deployment of fire tenders and specialised units including motorcycle-mounted extinguishers to tackle any fire outbreak. Rapid response teams have been stationed along key routes to provide immediate assistance during road accidents.
Officials said beach safety is their another major focus. Trained lifeguards, both of government and private organisations, and power boats will be deployed at Puri beach and other waterbodies to prevent drowning incidents.
The massive operation will involve a total of 1,789 personnel. This includes four senior officers (CFO/FO), 108 officers (DFO, AFO, SO, ASO), 721 leading firefighters/firefighters, 175 home guards, 333 civil defence personnel and 448 life guards (government and private). Additionally, 72 vehicles, 56 fire pumps and six power boats with outboard motor have been mobilised.
Dash visited Puri on Sunday to oversee the arrangements while Sarangi will review the measures on Monday.