Instead of praising each other’s efforts for successfully completing the rescue operation of the plane crash incident, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) on Sunday started a blame game with other departments, alleging that the Punjab rescue service 1122 and Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) created many problems on the place of incident.
During a press conference, the CDA chief Farkhand Iqbal said that the police authorities, particularly Islamabad Traffic Police did not support in true spirits to cordon-off the place of incident that led to heavy rush of onlookers creating a lot of hurdle to reach to the scene for remaining crews of CDA.
However, on the other hand while talking to Pakistan Today, Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) Islamabad Traffic Police said Dr Moin Masood that 127 passengers were present in the plane but the number of ambulances reached at the spot were around 300 which created traffic mess. He said further that they opened the road just for the heavy machinery otherwise they overcome the situation within a short period and due to the efforts of ITP the ambulances succeeded to reach the hospital.
It was further alleged by the CDA that Punjab Rescue Services 1122 always create media hype and mess on the place of incident, even they did not let the CDA rescuers to dispatch the bodies to PIMS unless their in-charge set them off to do so, despite repeated directions by the city administration and such silly actions tends to delay of information and ambiguous command and control between the authorities.
II22 sources said that the CDA high-ups tried to get the credit of the whole operation but the reality was totally different from the facts what they have described. A 1122 official said that the rescuers belonging from 1122 and CDA participated in the operation with their full conviction but it was beyond thinking that why the CDA chairman trying to create rift among the departments, adding that it may be some political motives behind the press conference.
It is pertinent to mention here that the CDA workers participated in the rescue operation actively but no press release was issued by the CDA Public Relation department to highlight their efforts. Instead the release which was issued on Saturday was that; “The government is contemplating on “own a school” programme to uplift the level of education in the Federal Capital”.
And after two days of the incident the CDA chairman also give an opportunity to other departments for raising questions about the performance of efficient CDA rescuers by alleging on the other rescue service department which were also came here to do nothing but to participate in the rescue operations.
In his talk with media Chairman Prime Minister’s Task Force on Islamabad Faisal Sakhi Butt said that as many as 121 dead bodies of Bhoja plane crash victims have been hand over to their families after identification while rest six are going through DNA test, though CDA-led search and rescue operation has been winded up.
Chairman PM task Force said first crew of rescuers and fire fighters reached the crash site within half an hour. The team was also accompanied by 12 CDA ambulances with doctors and paramedical staff to immediately evacuate the victims and bodies.
Chairman PM Task Force on Islamabad was monitoring the operation on direction of Prime Minister of Pakistan and remained present in in the Pakistan Institute of medical Sciences(PIMS) during the operation.
To a question, the chairman Task Force said he would convey the prime minister about the low capacity of mortuary at PIMS hospital that compelled them to keep dead bodies at cold storage.
He said all the shortcomings observed during this operation have been noted down and would be discussed with high ups to equip the CDA teams with all possible facilities to cope with natural and manmade disasters efficiently.
