Fire service dept woefully ill-prepared: CAG

[email protected] (CD Network)
April 2, 2012

aircrash

Mangalore, April 2: Nearly two years after the Mangalore air crash and months after the fire mishap at Carlton Towers in Bangalore, the Department of Karnataka State Fire and Emergency Services does not have separate standard operating procedures (SOPs) to deal with different emergencies, a CAG report has revealed.

Except for Bangalore and Hubli, other cities in the state did not have special equipment to manage fire-accidents in high-rise buildings, according to the report for the year ending March 31, 2011, tabled in the just-concluded legislature session.

An Air India Express carrier from Dubai crashed at Mangalore on May 22, 2010 killing 158 people, including the crew members. In one of the major fire accidents in high-rise buildings, nine people lost their lives and 57 others were injured at Carlton Towers here on February 23, 2010.

"Even one year after the crash, the Department had neither finalised a standing operating procedure for air crash accidents nor conceived specialised training for search and rescue operations in such situations", it said.

As the Department was identified during 2004 as the 'first responder' for all emergencies, it needed to function as a multi-hazard response unit, but it was seen that it had been following only a common SOP for all kinds of emergencies.

"As the nature of response required was different for different emergencies, like fires in high-rise buildings, floods, earthquakes, landslides, aircrash, etc, separate SOPs were to be designed to ensure a quick and appropriate response to the type of emergency", CAG said.

"This was, however, not done, handicapping the Department in providing the appropriate response during emergencies".


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News Network
June 3,2020

Bengaluru, Jun 3: Deputy Chief Minister CN Ashwath Narayan on Tuesday invited investors in the Electronics System and Design Manufacturing (ESDM) sector to Karnataka, as the state contributes 64 per cent to the sector's total exports from the nation.

During a video conference organised by Invest India for a few select states with leading ESDM players across the globe, Narayan said, "We are the largest chip design hub and home to 70 per cent of India's chip designers."

Karnataka has introduced industry-friendly policies from the beginning and it continues to be the leader in attracting technology-specific investments, he added.

"Karnataka has an estimated GSDP of almost USD 220 billion. We were the first to come out with IT, BT, ESDM, and AVGC (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comics) policies to give a push to the growth of the technology sectors and innovation. We also have vibrant automobiles, agro, aerospace, textile and garment, and heavy engineering industries," Narayan explained.

"We have created sector-specific SEZs for key industries such as IT, biotechnology and engineering, food processing and aerospace,'' he said.

However, the state government is planning ahead as it has initiated talks with other countries.

"We have held multiple consultations with the private sector to seek inputs for returning to business as we ease the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. We are also initiating dialogue with countries across the globe to understand future plans for their companies in the post COVID era and discuss how the Karnataka government can support that," the Deputy Chief Minister stated.

"Karnataka has attracted cumulative FDI inflows in the state from 2000 to 2019 which were recorded at USD 42.3 billion," he said.

Referring to the Karnataka ESDM policy 2017-2022, Narayan further said, "We aim to stimulate the growth of 2,000 ESDM start-ups during the policy period and create 20 lakh new jobs by 2025.

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News Network
January 6,2020

Bengaluru, Jan 6: Activist Irom Chanu Sharmila took part in a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR) at Sir Puttanna Chetty Town Hall here on Sunday.

Sharmila, who came in the protest along with her child, took part in a 'burqa and bindi' protest marking the birth anniversary of social reformer Savitribai Phule.

Protests have erupted across the country over the CAA which grants citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Parsi, Buddhist, and Christian refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, who came to India on or before December 31, 2014.

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coastaldigest.com news network
May 6,2020

Mangaluru, May 6: A day after a wild bison dies lost its life hours after being tranquilized in Mangaluru, another wild bison appeared in the Ashok Nagar area of the coastal city today.

In fact, two bison were spotted in Mangaluru yesterday. The two were reportedly wandering together early in the morning. Later one was spotted in Mannagudda and the other in Hathill area.

While one of them was tranquillized by an official of a Pilikula Biological Park and captured, another bison had gone missing.

The captured animal, however, died later in the day due to cardiac arrest.

According to official, it is common for herbivores, which are sedated to ensure their safe capture, to suffer cardiac arrest.

Meanwhile, Forest department officials have launched an operation to capture the second bison. It is believed that it is the same bison which went missing yesterday.

Also Read: Wild bison intrudes into Mangaluru city amidst lockdown; captured

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