A lesson to spot danger, save lives…..Aiswarya A
Figure this. You spot a brown parcel lying outside your childs SSC exam centre and a closer look reveals that it has Maths Paper II printed on the side. You are now torn between handing over the parcel to the school authorities or taking a quick peek at the questions before that. What would you do? Choosing either of the alternatives would automatically make you one of the several hundred citizens who overlook the simplest prescribed safety rule- Do not touch unidentified objects.
Quirky, yet effective, examples such as these form a part of the lectures that the Mumbai police and the Fire Brigade officials have begun to deliver in high-rise residential societies as a part of the Jagrut Mumbaikar campaign that was launched a fortnight back. The first such talk by the officials was organised on Saturday at a large residential society in Kandivli and on Sunday a similar one was organised for the residents of the sprawling Nirmal Lifestyle Society in Mulund.
On March 3, Mumbai Police, the Mumbai Fire Department and Eureka Forbes had launched the Jagrut Mumbaikar campaign- a joint venture aimed at sensitising Mumbaikars on security issues in their neighbourhood. While the campaigns website, toll free number and an SMS service had been announced at that time, the next couple of weeks were spent in identifying the societies, seeking permission from the building committees to host lectures and scripting the data.
Unlike other lazy Sundays, the residents of Nirmal Lifestyle spent the last one listening to fire officials and cops who talked of the safety loopholes that are ignored and the simple precautions that can save ones life during an emergency.
Dont touch strange objects, notify the police if you see suspicious persons, precautions like these are being advocated since decades but are forgotten at the most crucial times. Post 26/11 we have learnt that personal safety has to be self-imposed. In case of gunfire, the simplest step is to lie down flat on your stomach, duck behind a concrete cover or go to a dark place, said police inspector Sunil Jain of the protection and safety wing, Mumbai police.
Besides external security, internal security is also the responsibility of every citizen, said fire brigade officials who spoke to the residents about the different kinds of fires, fire extinguishers as well as the lacunae that exist in housing societies when it comes to safety.
It is often observed that in large residential societies, lifts are depended upon to such a large extent that the staircase becomes an unused space meant for storage. The same staircase is your only escape route during a fire but hardly remains usable when the time comes, said fire officer, Sunil Nesrikar, who added that there is a provision to fine the secretary of the building if the safety measures are inadequate.
The campaign seemed to have stirred the residents to some extent. Many of them acknowledged that several loopholes existed in their society as well.
Some of the residents have dumped shoe racks, cylinders and even malfunctioning refrigerators at the staircase, exclaimed a resident. Because of the mall located nearby, several unidentified cars enter and exit the society and are parked at our parking lots for a long time. There is no one to keep a tab on them, added another resident.
The session was unique because there were several of these unanswered questions on safety that we didnt know whom to address to. The lecture drew our attention to several aspects that our society needs to look at and its really encouraging that the officials arrived here personally to speak to us about the safety measures, said Parag Nesarikar, a resident.