KTR launches DRF

​Hyderabad:  Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister KT Rama Rao launched the Disaster Response Force (DRF) comprising 120 members here on Saturday.  

The DRF will act swiftly in emergencies such as fire mishaps, submergence during rains and building collapses under the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits.  The DRF will function under the Enforcement, Vigilance and Disaster Management (EVDM) wing of the corporation.    
     
Speaking on the occasion, the minister said Hyderabad is the only city in the country to have a dedicated DRF to tackle disasters in the corporation limits.  Taking serious note of the building collapse at Nanakramguda area killing 8 people, he said the government has come up with the idea of establishing an exclusive disaster force to deal with such incidents in the city.

KTR said the DRF team will be deployed in every zone in the GHMC after recruiting required number of skilled staff. 
    
The GHMC will be provided an independent enforcement wing with 250 to 300 staff at the central office.  The DRF teams are equipped with eight vehicles and 11 different types of equipment- generators, rope ladders, fire extinguishers, etc. 

The team officials of the DRF wing will also be provided with special uniforms. Stating that the crime rate in Greater Hyderabad has come down after the government took several security measures, including CCTV surveillance across the city, the minister said the coordination among all departments such as the police, GHMC and transport wings helped achieve desired results in curbing crime in the city.