Kerala - Alappuzha   

NDRF rescue team arrives

Staff Reporter

To tackle monsoon-related accidents

ALAPPUZHA: For the first time in its mishap-prone monsoon history, Kerala will have a special rescue team from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) stationed in the State to supervise and swing into action whenever an accident occurs, be it in waterlogged areas or on the road. The teams will be stationed at Alappuzha and Kozhikode.

A 74-member NDRF team from Arkonam, which has been divided into two teams, arrived at Alappuzha and Kozhikode on Friday. According to Alappuzha District Collector V.K. Balakrishnan, a request had been forwarded from Alappuzha to the State Government pointing out that a rescue team had to be stationed here because whenever an accident occurred, mostly boat mishaps and drowning incidents, it took seven to eight hours for Navy rescue teams to reach the spot.

The State Government, in turn, had forwarded the request to the Union Government’s National Disaster Management wing, which deputed the NDRF teams.

“The 38-member team, which has two divers, will be stationed at the Armed Reserve Police camp here. Their services will be utilised whenever an accident where their help is necessary occurs in the seven districts from Ernakulam to Thiruvananthapuram. The team at Kozhikode will operate in a similar manner,” Mr. Balakrishnan said.

The team at Alappuzha is led by CISF Inspector Narendra Singh and Sub-Inspectors S.R. Jayakrishnan and U.K. Sinha and comprises four head constables, 24 constables and seven other CISF personnel.

Two liaison officers, one from the Revenue Department and another from the State Police, would also be deputed to coordinate between the district administration and the NDRF team.

Mr. Balakrishnan, in his position as the District Magistrate, would be in charge of the rescue team in Alappuzha.

Staff Reporter writes from Kozhikode: A battalion of the National Disaster Response Force reached Kozhikode to face any eventuality in connection with natural disasters that may occur in Malabar.

Collector A.Jayathilak held talks with the leaders of the team, including P.John Peter and D.M. Battalia, inspectors with the Central Industrial Security Force.

Discussions were also held on the features of the terrain and the nature of natural disasters in Kozhikode and Malabar.

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