War-era sirens to be recalled to service

Sirens, hi-tech displays to warn people in event of disasters and other emergencies

Sirens, hi-tech displays to warn people in event of disasters and other emergencies

The city is pulling up its socks to combat natural calamities and other emergencies. An upgraded electronic siren system called Wireless Air Raid Siren (WARS) with information display boards will be installed in the city soon.

The National Disaster Management Authorityu00a0 is investing Rs 2 crore in the system and it will be functional by Diwali. The Civil Defence is heading the project and believes WARS will provide vital information to citizens on any untoward incident.u00a0

The city already has 75 non-functional electric sirens installed in 1974 after the Bangladesh war. "Now the relevance of the sirens has changed and we are using them for traffic congestion, water-logging in monsoon, and in case of terrorist attacks," said Anil Aware, deputy controller, Civil Defence.

Additional Controller of Civil Defence, Mumbai, Sanjeevan Joshi said, "WARS will be used for all types of natural and manmade disasters. The idea is to warn people with sirens as well as the visual displays," said Joshi.

The number of display boards to be installed is 60. A Bangalore-based company has manufactured wars, which is based on 3G technology.

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!