Firemen on the job cut a huge tree with the help of a JCB machine on Sunday.
MARGAO
It’s testing time for the South Goa district Disaster Management Cell to get its act together and give relief to the common man hit by disasters as the first wet spell brought out chinks in disaster management.
Consider this. A huge tree came crashing down on an internal road at Sonsodo going to the Margao civic body’s dog shelter on Saturday evening. The Margao fire brigade rushed to the spot to clear the road of the tree, but the gigantic task forced the fire personnel to requisition a JCB from the disaster management cell to clear the debris. No doubt, the disaster management cell did respond, says the Fire personnel, when a JCB was sent to the site.
Sadly, residents as well as the staff manning the dog shelter claimed that the tree has not been cleared by the authorities. When The Goan called up Fire officer Gill D’Sa to shed light on the incident, he said the disaster management did send a JCB machine, which helped the firemen to start the tree clearing operation.
He, however, hastened to add he has no idea why the JCB left the spot without clearing the debris. “I will find out for the disaster management cell why the JCB left the site,” he added.
Activist Avinash Tavares said the fallen tree has blocked the road, cutting off access to four houses and a dog shelter.
“While power was restored the next day, the road remains uncleared despite the fire department having cut down the trunk. The fire department stated that removing the branches is not their responsibility and advised residents to hire a private service. This situation leaves the houses inaccessible to emergency services, including ambulances,” he said.
Tavares pointed out the delay in clearing the road highlights a lack of sufficient coordination among the departments overseen by the district disaster management team.
