Gurugram falters during exercise to deal with quake

A mega mock drill conducted by security agencies in Gurugram on Thursday to deal with an earthquake-like disaster threw up several lapses.

The coordinated 'rescue and relief exercise' for earthquake-hit victims started on time at 10 a.m., with sirens blaring away.

Gurugram Deputy Commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh and other officers rushed to the control room immediately, said a senior official.

The exercise was meant to assess the preparedness of each district in Haryana on how to handle disaster management.

The aim was to analyse preparedness to deal with a calamity and whether authorities have enough resources for disaster management.

As many as seven prominent sites in Gurugram district were shortlisted as incident locations for the drill.

But motorists faced traffic jam at Kherki Daula toll plaza on the Gurugram-Delhi Expressway as the boom barriers were not removed during the drill.

"Ambulances ferrying dummy patients rescued from Manesar were seen caught up in the traffic jam at the toll plaza," an eyewitness said.

Rescue and relief teams reportedly failed to reach at MGF Mall even after more than half hour. Wireless sets provided to team deployed at the Civil Hospital reportedly did not work.

There was massive traffic jam outside the Huda City Centre Metro station.

Journalists were stopped from entering the metro station.

"The outcome of mock drill will be discussed at a high-level meeting," an official said.

Teams from the National Disaster Response Force, National Security Guard, Central Reserve Police Force and several other departments took part in the exercise.

--IANS

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