Indian Express 07.12.2009

Chandigarh still awaits a disaster management plan

The city has witnessed a number of major tragedies in the past, but the Administration has failed to learn any lesson-the much-touted disaster management plan is still not in place.

After every incident, there’s a lot of noise about the need to have a disaster management plan to ensure coordinated rescue operations. But it seems many more lives will be lost before the Administration wakes up. Newsline lists major tragedies in the city.

Sector-22 fire:
4 dead
In April this year, four lives were lost in a major fire in Sector-22 market. Shop owners had rued that the rescue team took a long time to reach the spot. Fire tenders had a tough time reaching the spot due to the haphazard parking.

Not much has changed in the market since the incident. In case of a similar tragedy, rescue will again be a problem.

Sector-26 Grain Market mishap:
2 dead
In 2007, shed of the Grain Market in Sector 26 collapsed. Rescue operation could be carried out only after the Army intervened. The Administration and the Engineering department did not have a blueprint of the building.

Dhanas Nullah overflow:
1 dead
In 2008, a person fell in the overflowing nullah during the monsoons. Rescue team that reached the site did not have the necessary equipment. As a result, rescue went on for hours. And the person, who struggled for a long time in the nullah, died.

After the Dhanas mishap, a committee under the chairmanship of the Deputy Commissioner was constituted to deal with such incidents. But till date, nothing has been heard from the committee.

Officials shirk responsibility
After the incident, officials of the Administration and the Municipal Corporation were busy shifting the blame.

Municipal Commissioner Dr Roshan Sunkaria said: “The Municipal Corporation is concerned with fire and emergency services. The disaster management plan is to be prepared by the Deputy Commissioner.”

After receiving the information, our team was the first to reach the spot. The entire staff was there,” he added.

Deputy Commissioner Brijendra Singh, on the other hand, said, “There is a disaster management plan in place. All the departments — the police, doctors or the machinery needed — were at the site as soon as the information reached.”

The Hindu 05.12.2009

Kartika Reddy first Mayor of GHMC

Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD: Banda Kartika Reddy is the new Mayor of Hyderabad as the Congress sprang a surprise at the last minute proposing her name at the special meeting of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Council here on Friday.

The first-time corporator from Tarnaka was declared elected unopposed as no other candidate’s name was proposed by any party. Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen’s Jaffer Hussain is the new Deputy Mayor and he too was declared elected unopposed. He also is a first-time corporator from Toli Chowki.

GHMC’s first Mayor Ms. Kartika Reddy, a post-graduate in sociology, figured nowhere among the names bandied about in party circles. Her family’s political links and her husband Banda Chandra Reddy’s long association with the party, plus blessings from top leaders in New Delhi got her the post.

But for her election, the programme was a tame affair. With no contest and no voting, the meeting was over within an hour. Presiding Officer and Hyderabad Collector Navin Mittal made the 150 corporators take oath before reading out the procedure for Mayor and Deputy Mayor election.

Most took oath in Telugu and Urdu, a few in English and a lone member in Hindi – C. Devender Singh of Congress (Moghalpura). K. Venkatesham, Golnaka corporator, was the first to propose Ms. Kartika Reddy’s name and was seconded by Jagadeeshwar Goud (Hafeezpet).

They were followed by Adam Umadevi (Boudhanagar), Parameshwar Reddy (Ramanthapur), Sheikh Sharif (Khairatabad) and N. Suresh (Nacharam), also proposing and seconding her name. With all three nominations proposed by Congress corporators found to be in order by Observer and Labour Commissioner D. Srinivasulu, Mr. Mittal declared Ms. Kartika Reddy elected as Mayor.

Mr. Hussain’s candidature for Deputy Mayor was proposed by former Mayor Zulfiqar Ali (Hussainialam) and seconded by Syed Minhajuddin (Akbarbagh). Second proposer was a Congressman – Ayub Khan (Sanatnagar) and seconded by another colleague of his, Adam Vijaykumar (Sitaphalmandi); third proposer was Mohd. Nazeeruddin (Jambagh) and Mirza Mustafa Baig (Riasatnagar).

With papers found to be in order, Mr. Hussain too was declared elected. Ministers Sabitha Indra Reddy, Mukesh, MPs Asaduddin Owaisi, K.V. P. Ramachandra Rao, V. Hanumantha Rao, Anjan Kumar Yadav and others were present.