Indian Army Bolsters Disaster Readiness, Inducts 40 New Heavy Duty Hydraulic Cranes

New Delhi: In a boost towards operational preparedness, the Indian Army has inducted 40 heavy-duty hydraulic mobile cranes to undertake operations during disaster management with better efficiency. The Army has inducted these cranes from Tractor India Limited. 

Hydraulic Mobile Crane to aid Combat Engineers

“These versatile, new age and high-tech cranes will enhance the operational preparedness of Combat Engineers and also enable them to undertake arduous tasks during disaster management,” Indian Army said in a post on X.  

Hydraulic machines use liquid fluid power to perform work. In this type of machine, hydraulic fluid is pumped to various hydraulic motors and hydraulic cylinders throughout the machine and becomes pressurized according to the resistance present.

(Visual credit: Indian Army)

Role of Armed Forces in Disaster Management 

The Disaster Management Act 2005 mentions the “deployment of naval, military and air forces, other armed forces of the Union or any other civilian personnel as may be required for the purposes of this Act” under the heading “Measures by the Government for Disaster Management”.

The Indian Army is playing a crucial role in flood relief operations in parts of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh in the recent floods. 

Army’s Role in Uttarkashi Tunnel Rescue Operations

A unit of Indian Army's Madras Sappers stepped in for the rescue operation at the collapsed Silkyara Tunnel in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi where 41 workers were trapped for more than two weeks. Army moved their equipment to the tunnel site to remove the auger machine which was busted when it encountered a metal obstruction while drilling through the debris.

More than 2,000 civilians rescued in Punjab Floods  

During the floods in 2023 in Punjab, over 2,000 civilians were rescued by 10 teams of the Indian army’s Kharga Sappers deployed in the worst-hit areas of the state, including Patiala, Sangrur, Rupnagar and Rajpura. Army's 70 Engineer Regiment rescued more than 2,000 civilians during the recent floods in Punjab and Haryana.

 The Indian Army also rescued over 500 stranded tourists from Nathula in February this year. Passengers were stranded at Nathula which is along the India-China border in Sikkim.