Mock drills to prepare administration ahead of Commonwealth Games

Mock drills, training of hospital staff and volunteers and special camps are among a series of steps taken by the District Disaster Management Authority to prepare the administration and the common man to meet any emergency ahead of the Commonwealth Games.

To check response time and co-ordination among concerned players like the police, fire, health care personnel among others, the DDMA is organising mock drills at six venues of the Commonwealth Games, deputy commissioner and DDMA chairman DK Mishra said.

Moreover, officials of all these agencies are meeting at regular intervals to review the security situation in the city, Mishra said.

"On 14th February we held a mock bomb blast at Dyan Chand Stadium after informing all agencies involved to assess their response time and study what all steps needed to be taken in case of an emergency in the coming Commonwealth Games," he said.

"Also we are giving training to civil defence volunteers, various hospital personnel and school children on how to handle an emergency situation at a big event. Remember during the 26/11 attacks hospitals were one of the targets," the official said.

Speaking at an awareness function here today, senior Congress leader and MP Oscar Fernandes said technology alone cannot prevent disasters and asked people to do their part to avert both man-made and natural calamities.

"Machines and technology alone cannot do anything. People should also do their part. The citizens, especially in cities, should be told what to do in case of an emergency," he said.

Referring to the incident when a foreign player recently refused to play in the city, Fernandes asked the citizens to unite and show that Delhi is the perfect city for hosting events like Commonwealth Games.

Yesterday, the New Zealand striker Simon Child pulled out of the Hockey World Cup to be held in the city from next week, saying a thick security cover is not an ideal environment to play in.