MAPUSA
Last year’s cyclone Tauktae prompted the Block Development Officer of Bardez to come out with a “novel” plan to make panchayats self-reliant with the equipment required to tackle disaster situations.
Bardez BDO Shiv Prasad Naik advised the 33 panchayats in the taluka to buy portable chain saws, generators, gas cutters, ladders, emergency lights, and nylon ropes among other equipment which will help to tackle any disaster incidents.
“Past experiences show that the material/instruments/equipment which is required to tackle any disaster event is not available with the panchayat bodies to give timely relief to people,” Naik said, in a memorandum to all the panchayats.
However, not a single panchayat bought his idea.
The BDO said every village panchayat should buy and store sufficient quantities of the material/instruments/equipment so that it can be used during a crisis.
He made a list of 23 items and advised the panchayats to buy the equipment such as portable fuel operated power generator (5 nos), portable chain saw (5), portable water suction pump (single phase/fuel operated) (5), axe (10), sickle/hand chopper (20), nylon ropes (10 bundles of 25 metres length and 22 mm thick), canoes (2 with a capacity of carrying five people at a time), lifesaving jackets (100), folding tents (10 of area 10 sq mt each), emergency lights (20), cooking gas and stoves (5), lifebuoy (5), ghamela (20), instruments for clearing mud/slush (20), portable stone breakers (2), safety hand gloves( 100 sets), safety shoes (25 sets), safety helmets (50), gas cutter (2), ladders (5), long handle saw to rim branches (5), folding sretchers (10) and JCB machine (optional) (1).
The BDO directed all the panchayat secretaries to use funds from the 14th and 15th Finance Commission, village panchayat or corporate social responsibility to purchase sufficient quantities of the listed equipment.
“If you skip the JCB and canoes, the total cost of other materials will work to around Rs 2 to Rs 3 lakh for each of the panchayats. It’s a utility purchase which will last for several years,” Naik said.
He said it was an idea that popped up in his mind five months ago and he immediately wrote to the panchayats requesting them to take necessary action in the matter.
However, none of the panchayats has purchased any of the material to date.
“It was a unique initiative. But none of the sarpanchas and panchayats showed interest in the idea,” the BDO said.
