A permanent unit of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) in Kozhikode, ready to swing into action during emergency, remains a pipe dream for the whole Malabar region, which is heavily dependant on the services of the Fire and Rescue Department to save lives. The Kattippara tragedy has once again underscored the need to have a permanent force headquartered in Kozhikode to attend to the mounting safety concerns in the hill regions.
“The rescue operations at Kattippara were carried out primarily by the local residents, voluntary organisation leaders and a group of youth. There was hardly any chance for a rescue operation by the NDRF team, which reached nearly eight hours after the incident,” says V.T. Faizal, a local resident. Instead of just recovering the bodies, the competency of such a force should be used to save the lives of persons who fall victims to such disasters, he points out.
In the past, an NDRF unit used to camp in Kozhikode during monsoon season as a precautionary measure. The practice was withdrawn for unknown reasons. The attempt made by former Minister of State for Home Mullappally Ramachandran to maintain a team of the NDRF in Kozhikode had got stuck in technicalities. In 2009, the Union government had cleared the decks for the opening of a permanent NDRF unit in Kozhikode. Based on the communication from the government, the district administration had even arranged facilities to locate the 40-member unit at Vengeri, but in vain.
“Waiting for a force to arrive for rescue operations hours after an incident is hardly a sensible option for the remotely located villages. During the Kattippara incident, all the approachable roads were water-logged. Only a force trained in handling such situations would be able to save lives,” said a local body member.