Brace for three ‘blasts’ and learn how to respond

Called Tatpar-Mumbai 2010,meaning Alert Mumbai,the two-day exercise and exhibition,first of its kind,is being organised by the BMC’s disaster management cell. “It is important to create awareness among citizens on what to do and how to attend injured people immediately after such an attack,” said Mahesh Narvekar,chief officer of the BMC’s disaster management cell.

Chaos had marked the immediate hours after the 26/11 attacks,the serial train blasts of 2007,the 1993 blasts and those at Mulund,Ghatkopar and Vile Parle in between. Many people want to help but often don’t know how. Civic officials said the event will help in such aspects.

Saturday,the first day,will see a mock blast with 70 volunteers from Civil Defence. The simulated scene of mass casualties will unfold at Shivaji Park in Dadar,where a “bomb” will be kept in a bag or a tiffin box,followed by a series of make-believe explosions.

According to the Standard Operating Procedure,the Fire Brigade is the first to reach the spot followed by the police and medical authorities. If the situation is beyond local management,the National Defence Response Force (NDRF) will take charge. “These scenes will be enacted and citizens will be given a demonstration on the role played by each authority. This is expected to do away with confusion at the time of disaster,” said Narvekar.

Keeping in mind the advanced tactics used by terrorists,such as chemical warfare and nuclear weapons,the drills will include such disasters.

The hall of the Swami Samarth Gymnasium in Shivaji Park will be transformed into a cinema theatre,showing a Hindi potboiler with all tickets sold out. A radioactive bomb will supposedly have exploded and in the panic,NDRF squads will try to evacuate people.

After each such exercise,NDRF officials will brief people on immediate rehabilitation and crisis management,prevention,preparedness,mitigation and post-disaster relief.

There will be 54 stalls by agencies including BARC,Aeronautical Society of India and the Mumbai police bomb squad,on chemical,bio-logical,nuclear warfare. These will showcase machinery to tackle disasters.

Eight NDRF battalions are at Talegaon; they have a response time of 15 minutes.