The BMC's fire department is set to purchase six cranes one for each municipal zone of the city. These cranes, capable of lifting five tonnes each, will be used to move parked cars and also clear debris in case of a building collapse.

The BMC used to rent such cranes from private suppliers earlier. "Renting cranes from private suppliers was a waste of time, which is very precious during a rescue operation. Owning these cranes will increase our efficiency," said SS Shinde, joint municipal commissioner, disaster cell.

"We had initially thought of buying a German-made crane that can lift 70 tonnes. The basic idea was to help in a rescue operation during a house collapse. But we decided to buy a multi-purpose crane instead. This can also lift debris in case of a building collapse," said AV Sawant, chief fire officer, BMC.

The fire brigade has constantly faced delays during rescue operations due to parked cars en route to a disaster site. "Cars parked on the side of the road are a major hindrance. With the cranes, we can clear these obstacles and make way for fire engines and ambulances," explained Shinde.

He added, "Earlier, fire brigade officials had to manually get rid of these cars, which was time consuming. Now, these cranes will be kept ahead of the fire engines."