COIMBATORE: The Salem Division of Southern Railways and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) jointly conducted a mock drill by creating an accident-like scenario at Ettapur Road railway station, on Friday.
The response of the various teams involved and their efficiency in rescue and relief operations were analysed during the mock exercise at the railway station on the Salem-Virudhachalam section.
“As two coaches of a train derailed, the train manager informed the station master, who in turn passed on the information to concerned senior officials and as well as to NDRF in Arakkonam. Soon, various departments of railways including a medical team from the railway hospital, mechanical, signal, electrical, engineering, and Government Railway Police Force (RPF) rushed to the spot to carry out relief and rescue operations as per laid down procedures,” said a statement from railways.
The mock drill was conducted under the supervision of Pankaj Kumar Sinha, Divisional Railway Manager, Salem Division, and Aakash Verma, Divisional Safety Officer. The drill aimed to inculcate a culture of preparedness in disaster management among various stakeholders, check the efficacy of standard operating procedures, identify gaps in resources and communications, enhance the ability to respond faster, and reduce the impact of disaster and loss of human life.