Mumbai:
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WAITING FOR BIHAR: The equipment at the H20 at Chowpatty. Pic/DATTA KUMBHAR | At least 60 expert flood rescue personnel and lifeguards in Mumbai are awaiting the green signal from the Bihar government to fly out and help those marooned in the worst-ever flood disaster. The personnel are from Dhrishti, a leisure marine company that runs water sports complexes under the brand name H20. Dhrishti's Chairman and Managing Director Rajiv Somani said they were ready with "special boats that move with high currents, catapults that can shoot rope 100 m across and boots that have fins on them" waiting to be airlifted to Bihar. The equipment is at the Chowpatty H20 in Mumbai. Somani said they were first alerted that they might be needed in Bihar by the Mumbai Fire Brigade on Sunday. When the secretary of the Bihar Disaster Cell, Pratay Amrit, called them on Monday, the team thought they would be airlifted soon. They waited yesterday too, but there was no further news. Said Somani, "Medha Patkar too called us yesterday. I know that we are supposed to be airlifted by the Indian Air Force to the Purnya air base and then transferred to an area to rescue about 1.5 lakh people who are marooned in four villages in an area there." Strangely though, Amrit said on telephone, "What is Dhrishti? Is it an NGO? Are they experts in flood rescue? Then I will consider getting them here." He denied calling Somani for help. "I have no time to call anybody. We are busy strategising about how to proceed further." A classic case of Nero fiddling while Rome burns, or Nero quibbling while Bihar continues to flood?
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