NDRF to have tableau during Republic Day Parade; display hi-tech gadgets used in rescue ops

Cutting-edge technology and instruments used by the NDRF during rescue operations in flood-hit areas and Delhi's Anaj Mandi inferno last year will be showcased as part of its tableau during this Republic Day Parade, officials said on Wednesday.

A senior NDRF official claimed that it is for the "first time" the force is participating in the January 26 parade.

However, government officials could not ascertain if the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has previously been represented in the ceremonial event or not.

"This is the first time our NDRF is being represented in the Republic Day Parade, and we are feeling very proud. Our force has played major role in rescue operations conducted in several natural calamities and man-made disasters," Ravindra Singh Kushwaha, a deputy commandant in the NDRF, said.

Kushwaha, who belongs to 8th Battalion based in Ghaziabad, said some of the cutting edge-technology and instruments were used in the rescue operations in the past, including the deadly Anaj Mandi fire in December which claimed over 40 lives.

Several NDRF teams were sent to the site for rescue operation.

"Our tableau will showcase the instruments and technology we used during rescue operations. Like isotope identifier, gas detector and tele tactor are used for radiation detection as done during Mayapuri gas leak incident," he told PTI.

The Walled City of Jaipur and Gujarat's iconic stepwell in Patan, both UNESCO world heritage, and the 550th anniversary of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev will be thematically showcased among a host of tableaux in the Republic Day Parade this year, officials said.

Jammu & Kashmir will participate in the parade for the first time as a union territory.

Out of the total 22 tableaux, 16 will be of various states and UTs and six of ministries, departments and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). They were unveiled at an event held at the Delhi Cantonment on Wednesday.

The NDRF tableau will be depicted with a simulated rescue operation at a disaster site represented by a collapsed house, and NDRF personnel working around it.

A song extolling the courage and bravery of the personnal will play in the background.