Author: N Ganesh
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: July 16, 2006
URL: http://www.indianexpress.com/iep/sunday/story/8578.html
Introduction: Disaster cell gets Kudos
Far away from the scenes of the blasts, inside
a basement office, another dedicated team had swung into action. This was
the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation,
a crucial link in the coordination of relief efforts.
When Municipal Commissioner Johny Joseph yelled
over the din for somebody to connect him to Cooper Hospital, wireless operator
Vijay Jagtap was already dialling yet again to get somebody at the key suburban
hospital.
During the first two hours, when phone lines
went dead, the control room was busy ensuring there were enough ambulances
at the blast sites and that every hospital was in a state of readiness.
''Sion Hospital. Sion Hospital, this is disaster
control. Do you have sufficient stock of medicines for a large number of trauma
cases? If not, then give me a list of what is required,'' said the officer
handling the wireless in fluent English. That was Divisional Fire Officer
Kargopikar, who had eagerly taken over as wireless operator.
Similar messages went to each of nearly 22
hospitals.
Additional Municipal Commissioner Manu Kumar
Srivastava's attention was caught by a helpless girl on television; she was
looking for her father.
Immediately, there are instructions on the
wireless and by phone and soon, hospitals begin to display the names of the
injured patients on a notice board at the entrance.
Finally, a call came from Cooper Hospital.
There was a sense of jubilation, because this time, the Emergency Operations
Centre had succeeded in making contact.
