TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: They have been virtually on their toes during the wet spell lasting nearly a month now ~ on the move day in and out, attending to calls to clear uprooted trees from houses and on roads to make way for vehicular traffic.
Sometimes attending to 15-20 calls a day, with or without rainwear or in many cases with worn out gear, as strange it may seem, personnel of the fire services are yet to receive their supply of rain wear this monsoon.
Firemen, including the near 20 new recruits, have weathered the worst this monsoon, but the rain wear is still not forthcoming with the wet spell set to enter the third month three days from now.
The issue came to the fore a week ago when a huge tree came crashing down on the main road at Sarzora, brining all traffic to a halt. When local Sarpanch Jacinto Fernandes inquired why the firemen were not equipped with bare minimum rain wear, apt came the reply that the department is yet to make available the rain wear.
Says a fireman: “The department provides us the rain wear biennially. But this time round, the rain wear is yet to come to us. In its absence, either we use the worn out rain wear or our personal wear to protect us from the rains.”
When contacted, Assistant Fire Divisional Officer, Margao, Nitin Raikar, admitted that the department has till date not supplied rain wear to the fire personnel, but promised to find out from the head officer the reason for the delay.
Incidentally, Director of Fire Services Ashok Menon attributed the situation to the procedural delays encountered by the department this year. “My office had moved the file to the Goa Handicrafts around April since we are mandated to get the items from the corporation. The procurement had to be done via e-tendering. There was a procedural delay at the Corporation end. Finally, my office had to do the e-tendering and I have told the contractor to supply the rain wear at the earliest.”
Menon further added that the department has placed orders for 400 rain wear with the first lot of 100 expected by the weekend.
Sources in the know said the new recruits, who have been posted for training, are also drafted for duties, but are reported to be attending to calls without rain wear. And they have no idea whether they are also in line to receive the rain wear or will have to wait till the regular personnel receives their biennial quota.
