In the offing: Extension of civil defence system to tehsil-level soon

The official told newsmen that five volunteers would be initially recruited in this regard

FAISALABAD:

The civil defence system will soon be extended to the tehsil-level to effectively deal with emergencies, Civil Defence DO Mazhar Ahmed said on Sunday.

The official told newsmen that the Jaranwala and Tandlianwala TMAs had allocated a sum of Rs1.5 million each for the formulation of the system. He said five volunteers would be initially recruited in this regard. Ahmed said they would be trained to put out fires, mount rescue operations and deal with any other untoward situation such as natural calamities.

He said the TMA would finance their salaries while the department would give them state-of-the-art training. Ahmed said the recent surge in incidents of terrorism nationwide had made it imperative for the scope of the department to be widened. He said broadening it to encompass the grass roots was necessary to secure citizens’ properties and lives.

The official said all TMAs across Faisalabad had been requested to raise funds to enable the quick establishment of the system across the district. He said other TMAs would also follow in the Jaranwala and Tandlianwala TMA’s lead in this regard.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 21^st,  2015.