05 August,2014 06:50 AM IST | | Laxman Singh
It is supposed to provide training to civic officials, citizens on how to deal with disasters and emergencies; even after spending Rs 3 cr on it, the BMC is well past the promised inauguration date of 2011
Every year, the Brihanmumbai Municipal corporation (BMc) grapples with fires, building collapses, tree collapses and flooding during the monsoon.
Also read: BMC dragging feet on disaster management?
Yet, the civic body hasn't bothered to pay attention to the very disaster management institute it had planned to start, to train its staffers to deal with such situations. Three years after its promised deadline, the City Institute of Disaster Management (CIDM) is still awaiting inauguration.
Till date, the civic body has spent Rs 3 crore on the building and the various modern facilities that are housed inside; the interior work is yet to be completed
The CIDM was incepted after the 2005 deluge that wreaked havoc in the city, with an aim to train its staff members and the general public on how to deal with disasters such as floods, fires, building collapses etc. civic officials had promised it would open in 2011, but that day is yet to materialise.
Disastrous beginning
construction of the building began in 2009 inside Parel's Kalpataru complex, after procuring land from the builder. Till date, the civic body has spent Rs 3 crore on the building and the various modern facilities that are housed inside. The four-storey glass facade structure is 90 per cent complete currently, work on the fourth-floor auditorium is in progress.
"Because of cost escalation, the project got delayed. All furniture work is already completed and in the next two months, we will start operating from this building," claimed an official from BMc's disaster management cell.
The institute has already had a disastrous beginning even before it actually opened its doors to anyone. Last year, miscreants sneaked into the building through the emergency exit and broke washbasins on every floor these have still not been replaced. Parts of the building's glass facade have also been damaged. The civic body appointed a caretaker to keep watch over its property after these incidents.
The BMC has spent Rs 3 crore on the institute till date and the washbasins which were damaged by miscreants last year are still broken
When we visited the site yesterday, we found that work on the top floor auditorium was underway. The ground floor is completely filled with machines and equipment. civic officials blame lack of funds for the delay and claimed that there were also issues in procuring certain equipment.
The BMC plans to run a one-year course in disaster management in partnership with the University of Mumbai. There are also plans to get experts in disaster management to share knowledge with officials to prepare the city to deal with such events. However, all this can only happen when the institute actually opens.
