Resources unseen: PDMA turns blind eye to available volunteers, recruits new ones

Authority initiated recruitment drive without contacting the Directorate General of Civil Defence

KARACHI: After being assigned relief activities in Sindh for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has begun the registration of volunteers for training purposes.

Surprisingly, the PDMA started recruiting new volunteers without first contacting the Directorate General of Civil Defence - a well-established governmental organisation that has a large number of volunteers specially trained to respond to wars, natural calamities and pandemics.

PDMA chief Syed Salman Shah claims that some 3,000 volunteers have enrolled themselves with the authority to render their services during the pandemic.

“A lot of people came forward and expressed their interest in volunteering for the PDMA,” he said. “We are now in the process of arranging training sessions for them so that they can be assigned different responsibilities immediately.”

Sidelining the civil defence

Sindh home department additional secretary Babar Fareed said that the Civil Defence organisation is ready to offer the services of its volunteers throughout the province whenever needed.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Fareed revealed that so far, he has not received any calls or requests from the PDMA authorities regarding the matter. “The PDMA has not approached us to seek the services of our volunteers yet. However, as soon as they do, we will be happy to cooperate with them during these critical times,” he said.

According to Civil Defence focal person Shahid Masroor, the organisation has over 10,000 registered volunteers in Sindh.

“The Civil Defence has a trained force of volunteers available in every district of the province. In Karachi’s South district alone, we have over 200 volunteers,” he said. “All of our volunteers are properly trained to help the public in emergencies and most of them already possess vast experiences of working with the civil administration at the district level,” Masroor explained.

It is pertinent to mention that the Civil Defence was a war-oriented organisation formed in April 1952, to protect the people of the newly-created Pakistan from air attacks. It was established under the Civil Defence Act, 1952. In 1994, however, its scope was expanded by assigning “remedial measures during calamity or disaster in peacetime” to it.

Just a training organisation?

In the beginning, the Civil Defence organisation performed several important activities, including the supervision of fire and rescue services, bomb disposal, regulation of the casualty sections of government hospitals and the provision of ambulance services, among others.

However, with the passage of time and owing to the continued devolution of power in the country, the organisation lost its importance. Its major functions were gradually transferred to other bodies and its job was reduced to the provision of training volunteers.

The responsibility of managing fire services was transferred to municipalities, the task for disposal of bombs was shifted to the police department, and casualty services of the government hospitals were handed over to medical superintendents and civil surgeons, while non-governmental organisations like Edhi and Chhipa took over the control of ambulance services.

After losing most of its functions, the Civil Defence also became administratively weak because of which it failed to establish its offices in most districts of Sindh. According to sources, out of 308 posts, 172 staff positions have been vacant for a long time. The organisation is also facing an acute shortage of funds because of which most of its serving staff has been deprived of required facilities, including vehicles for field visits.

Merger on the cards

A source at the PDMA, who requested not to be named, said that some higher officials are more interested in the merger of the Civil Defence with the PDMA. In this regard, they have made formal attempts on different occasions.

“A meeting, chaired by Sindh Chief Secretary Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah, was held a month ago where the matter was discussed. However, no decisions have been made so far,” the anonymous source revealed.

PDMA chief Salman Shah has also supported the proposal. When questioned about the possibility of a merger, he said that it was an administrative issue and should be resolved at a higher level.

Masroor, however, expressed his reservations about the proposed merger. “There is no need for a merger as the Civil Defence has been working efficiently despite limited resources. The government should instead try to strengthen the organisation by providing the required funds and facilities for its betterment,” he concluded.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 30^th, 2020.