Bhubaneswar: Minister of State for Home Divya Shankar Mishra Tuesday said Odisha State Watermanship And Life Guard Institute (OSWALI) had become a centre of attraction for other states like Andhra Pradesh and Nagaland to train firemen.
Describing the importance of the centre, Mishra said: “It has become such a centre of excellence that other neighboring states such as Andhra Pradesh and Nagaland send their fire officers to train there. In addition, similar training is being provided to the volunteers of the Home Guard under the Odisha Police.”
Mishra visited the OSWALI at the World Heritage Konark-Puri Marine Drive Tuesday. He inspected all activities at OSWALI. OSWALI, Ramachandi, Puri was made functional with an objective to impart watermanship training to both fire service personnel as well as lifeguards.
The training centre, set up in 2015 on the banks of the Kusabhadra River at Ramchandi, has earned a reputation across the country for its work.
Here, firefighters selected from different districts of the state receive training on the skills in groundwater, including watermanship, swimming, rowing, scuba diving, water rescue techniques and other advanced equipment.
The state government has lauded the skills, courage and service of the Odisha Fire Team in the wake of the recent natural disasters in the country.
According to a report, a total of 5,024 personnel have been trained so far, accounting for 60 per batch. Currently, the centre operates in temporary tents in a unique natural environment off the coast of the Bay of Bengal.
The state government last year had sanctioned Rs 2.93 crore for the development of its sustainable infrastructure. The process is underway to build a 100-seat barrage and administrative building as soon as possible.
“However, the Puri district magistrate has now provided two acres of land for the construction of the site and an additional two acres of land is required for which talk with Gop Tehsildar is in process,” said chief fire official in a statement.
PNN