BANGALORE: On Sunday, Bangaloreans were treated to a parade of Civil Defence volunteers, who wished to raise people’s consciousness in safety during an emergency.
In an effort to strengthen citizen partnerships for safety and neighbourhood preparedness at all times, Civil Defence volunteers staged a route march in Division 17, covering J C Nagar and R T Nagar police jurisdictions.
The walkathon was flagged off at the J C Nagar Police Station by Director General of Doordarshan Dr Mahesh Joshi, Technical Director with Fire and Emergency Services Hamppagol, Inspector of J C Nagar Police Station Nagaraj, and chief warden of Civil Defence volunteers General T M John.
The walk was led by Cheryl Rebello, divisional warden and T Vidyadhar, Deputy Divisional Warden.
“We covered areas including Jayamahal, Benson Town, Marappa Garden, Matadahalli, Rahamatnagar, and R T Nagar.
With an aim to spread awareness on the importance of a collective response mechanism, the march saw several students participating with active interest.
Students from R T Nagar Public School and institutions like Vidya Vahini and Reva Institute of Management also joined the walk.
In fact, an auto driver too showed active interest in participating at the event,” said Cheryl Rebello.
“Well, this walkathon was focused on spreading awareness.
I think more and more people should participate in such activities.
We had a fabulous time,” said Reena Singh, a volunteer.
Along the way, the team spoke with residents and shed light on Civil Defence.
They also stressed on the importance of building a strong network with the Civil Defence, Police and Fire and Emergency Services.
The walk also demonstrated people’s interaction with the Police and Fire and Emergency Services personnel and the need for such collaborative forces to address any contingency in the local area.
Another volunteer Prakash Singh said that people should be proactive in performing their civil duties.
“Through this walkathon, I hope people will be aware of their responsibilities.
It is the collective effort that matters,” he added.
The concept of Civil Defence is to safeguard life and property of civilian population in an emergency.