Fishermen anchored their boats at Versova beach in Mumbai due to formation of Cyclone Tauktae in the Arabian Sea, in Mumbai Saturday, May 15, 2021. (PTI Photo) Five teams from the Pune-based 5th Battalion of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were airlifted to Gujarat for Cyclone Tauktae, which is moving along the Western coast of the country.
The 5th Battalion has already deployed four teams in Mumbai and Goa and kept 14 more teams on standby, which can be mobilised on short notice.
On Sunday, five teams were airlifted by the transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force for Pune airbase in two batches, NDRF officials said. These teams are equipped with boats, rescue equipment and the team members include engineering, paramedic, technical experts and also a dog squad. The configurations of these teams change as per the nature of the emergency.
NDRF officials said the Gujarat state government had requisioned more than 40 teams of the NDRF. Teams from NDRF battalions in West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Maharashtra are being airlifted to Gujarat in addition to those from the battalion stationed in Gujarat itself.
Nine more teams are currently stationed at Sudumbare near Talegaon in Pune district. The 5th Battalion of the NDRF has a total of 18 teams comprising 45 personnel each or less, based on the requirement.
Anupam Shrivastava, the Commandant of the 5th Battalion, said, “The five teams were airlifted from Pune by IAF aircraft, following Gujarat government requisition. These teams will be positioned as per the directives of the local administration. The NDRF is fully geared for Cyclone Tauktae.”
31 incidents of tree collapse in Pune City
As many as 31 incidents of tree collapse were reported from various parts of Pune city due to strong winds since Saturday evening. While damage to few vehicles was reported in these incidents, no casualties were reported.
Pune fire brigade teams from various stations were rushed to the spots of tree collapse and cleared the fallen trees or tree branches. These incidents were reported from areas like Sinhagad Road, Anand Nagar, Gujarat Colony, Koregaon Park, Shivdarshan, Dhankawadi, Dattanagar, Senapati Bapat Road, Ganj Peth and Navi Peth.
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