CANACONA
Blaming officials in Canacona taluka for being ill-prepared to tackle disasters, a visibly upset Canacona MLA Isidore Fernandes said he had to single-handedly coordinate firefighting operations, which were found woefully inadequate during the massive fire which destroyed a seasonal resort at Palolem beach on Monday night.
Fernandes was incidentally one of the first to arrive at the site of the inferno, even before the police and fire tenders could reach the site.
“The disaster preparedness was clearly lacking on several counts. The fire tenders did not have sufficient water in the tanks. Only four fire tenders fought to control the fire and there was a shortage of water.”
“Even the new fire tender which I had obtained for the Canacona Fire Services had little water inside the tank. The officers were prepared for such a situation and totally ill-prepared for disasters,” said the agitated Fernandes.
“I tried to contact the PWD for additional water tankers, but none were available in Canacona and instead of wasting time to call the Deputy Collector or Mamlatdar, I contacted private water suppliers,” added Fernandes.
The Canacona MLA said he also called up the police and directed them to regulate traffic entry into Palolem so that the fire tenders had easy access to the site of the fire.
“No officers were available in Canacona, some are in Panaji and some in Margao. It was only the cooperation of locals and a few firemen managing the fire tenders that the fire was brought under control.”
“We are lucky that there were no strong winds like on Sunday, else the disaster could have been even worse.”
When asked, Fernandes confirmed that a case would be filed against the operator of the resort for storing a lot of materials in the vicinity of residential houses.
“I will convene a meeting of all officials of the taluka disaster management authority. The officers were not prepared for such a disaster, nor were they active in handling the situation. This incident is a lesson for us all,” he said.
Incidentally, many youths in Palolem came out to ensure that the narrow road was clear so that the fire tenders and water tankers got proper and speedy access to the site. Even before the fire tenders and police arrived, the locals were seen pouring water and sand on the fire in an attempt to control the flames.
