the goan I network
MARGAO
The Goan understands that the fire services from Margao could not get the camera with the team for the simple reasons that the Margao office had no camera at its disposal. Given the situation, the Margao fire brigade turned to the nearest fire station at Curchorem, only to be told that the camera is sent for repairs.
Left with no option, fire officials had to knock the doors of the Panaji fire brigade and the camera finally arrived at the spot at around 9 pm -- nearly two hours after the fire services had requisitioned for the cameras.
What further agitated the citizens was the absence of divers with the fire brigade. When the camera was pushed down the water filled quarry, a relative of the deceased had to assist in the operation for want of divers with the fire brigade.
That’s not all. The inflatable boat reached the spot only at around 10 pm from the Curchorem fire station, with residents demanding that the fire services put a system in place to meet any exigencies. When The Goan contacted Fire Officer Gill De Souza to shed light on the episode, he conceded that the Margao fire station has no camera facility nor does it have any divers at its disposal. “The delay was primarily due to the fact that the camera with the disposal of the Curchorem fire station is down and has been sent for repairs. We had to wait till the camera arrived at the spot from Panaji,” Gill said.
A resident Siddesh Bhaga told the media at the spot at around 10 pm that the government should streamline the functioning of the fire services to meet any exigencies. “It was shocking to note that the Margao fire brigade had no camera nor divers to assist in the rescue operation,”
he lamented.
