Beas tragedy: TRS for strengthening NDRF with modern equipment

New Delhi: With the rescuers yet to trace the missing students who had drowned in the Beas river of Himachal Pradesh on 8 June, a senior Telangana Rashtra Samithi MP today sought to strengthen the National Disaster Response Force with advanced equipment that could be effectively used during such critical search operations. TRS MP from Karim Nagar Lok Sabha constituency B Vinod Kumar said such devices would come in handy for the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel deployed in such rescue operations. [caption id=“attachment_1573159” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Ongoing search operation in river Beas. PTI[/caption] Kumar has been deputed by his party to oversee the rescue operations in Himachal Pradesh after 24 students and a co-tour operator of a group from a Hyderabad-based engineering college were swept away in the river in Kullu district after sudden release of water from the reservoir of a power project. “I had personally witnessed the search operations. Though NDRF and other para-military forces personnel are doing a laudable service, it appears that they have few modern equipment,” Kumar told over phone from Kullu. Pointing out that better equipment could help in a big way for quick response, he said that the NDRF should have an updated and revised manual required for such operations. “Rescue works have become stagnant in the past couple of days… If state-of-the-art devices are provided, the time taken to locate the bodies will reduce,” the TRS MP, who claimed that he had participated in a debate in Parliament on NDRF, said. The bodies of eight students had been recovered during the first four days of search, while there has been no progress since then. The TRS MP further urged the authorities to take the Beas tragedy as a case study to improve on equipment and gadgets required for the NDRF. “Moreover, the National Disaster Management Authority should also suggest precautionary measures for Himalayan states to avoid such disasters, as these regions attract tourists throughout the year,” he said. PTI