Mumbai: While accolades were showered on Colossus, the robot which helped douse the great fire that tore through France's Notre Dame cathedral in April, fire and brimstone rained on its Rs 88-lakh counterpart at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation on Wednesday.
Corporators across party lines slammed the fire department for the robot’s poor performance, which was put to test on Monday after a blaze broke out at the Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Building in Bandra (W).
They have demanded an inquiry not just into this matter but also the working of the fire department.The robot was added to the brigade as it could go where no
firefighter could -- in risky, life-threatening situations, where there was thick smoke, intense heat and poor visibility. But on the day of the MTNL fire, the robot failed to go up the stairs and had to be virtually pushed by firemen.
However, officials of the fire department stood their ground. “The fire-fighting systems of the MTNL building were not in working condition, so we had to bring in eight high-pressure water pipes through the staircase.
Water was being directed at the fire at great pressure and it was forcefully gushing down. This prevented the robot from navigating the stairs. The robot, in fact, worked very well that day.”
BJP’s Abhijeet Samant said, “We have heard about the several unique features of the robot but when it was actually put to use, it failed. The robot was unable to climb the staircase and had to be pushed by firemen." He also had objections to the peculiar functioning of the fire department.
Samajwadi Party corporator Rais Shaikh had a dig at automaton, in general, and the administration, in particular, saying the robot was nothing but a toy for kids. Congress corporator Asif Zakaria said the robot had been brought in to douse the fire and help the fire brigade but it needed crutches.
