Suddepalli tragedy exposes DRF mismanagement

KHAMMAM: The Suddepalli incident in Nelakondapalli mandal where two Disaster Response Force (DRF) personnel drowned in the raging Palair rivulet while searching for a fisherman who was suspected to have drowned throws light into the poor state of affairs in managing the disaster teams in Khammam Municipal Corporation (KMC).

The bodies of DRF team member Praveen aka Pradeep and fisherman Ranjit were fished out on Friday by involving local swimmers and were handed over to their family members after post mortem. The body of the other victim, Venkatesh, was recovered on Thursday. The DRF teams were said to be constituted in a haphazard manner. The DRF personnel were imparted training for only 10 days which, according to experts, it is not enough to deal with disasters in water bodies. The DRF personnel were recruited through outsourcing agencies and the KMC pays the salaries through the agency.

Life jackets given to them were allegedly low-quality ones and their hooks were not proper. The life jacket of Venkatesh came off after he was caught in floodwaters. The life jacket should have a safety hook to attach the rope to it and the DRF person should descend in the water body only after tying the rope to a pole or tree near the disaster spot.

Thirdly, the DRF teams were formed to deal with incidents taking place only in the KMC limits. There was no response from KMC officials when Deccan Chronicle tried to contact them.

The parents and relatives of the DRF personnel staged a dharna at the post-mortem site at Nelakondapalli for sending their sons to Suddepalli, which is not in KMC limits. They demanded an explanation from assistant municipal commissioner Malleswari. They also demanded Rs 25 lakh compensation, a job and a double-bedroom house. The government has already announced Rs 5 lakh, a double-bedroom house and an outsourcing job.

Brahmam, a member of the DRF team said, “Earlier, we saved the lives of two persons in the NSP canal and Palair. We have experience for such rescues. The Suddepalli incident is an unfortunate one.”

N. Siva, another person in the DRF team, said they were imparted training in Hyderabad. He said safety jackets should be of good quality and they should have hooks to fix ropes.

Nelakondapalli sub-inspector Sravanthi said she did not call the DRF teams in Khammam and she did not know of their presence in the KMC. “I was looking for local swimmers in Nelakondapalli mandal and the DRF vehicle rushed to the spot. We thought they were all experienced enough to handle such disasters.”