SAFETY FIRST: 69 ADDITIONAL LIFEGUARDS AT 6 CITY BEACHES

MUMBAI: To increase safety at city beaches, the Mumbai fire brigade has shortlisted a private agency to provide 69 additional lifeguards. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will deploy the lifeguards at six beaches in the city.

A proposal to sanction the appointment of the agency has been tabled in the standing committee, which will meet on Wednesday.

Once the standing committee approves the agency, it will be awarded a three-year contract worth ₹13 crore.

Currently, there are 24 contractual and 11 permanent lifeguards deployed at city beaches, who work for the BMC. The fire brigade will hire the additional 69 lifeguards on a contractualbasis.

“One of our conditions in the tenders was for the agency to include our 24 contractual lifeguards on its payroll. This is to ensure that existing lifeguards are not left jobless after we outsource additional lifeguards,” said a senior fire official.

“The 11 permanent lifeguards will also act as supervisors to keep a check on the work of the additional lifeguards,” the official added.

The new lifeguards will be stationed at Dadar, Girgaum, Versova, Juhu, Aksa, and Gorai beaches. The civic body has been under fire in the past for having only 35 lifeguards at the six beaches. Juhu, one of the most crowded beaches in the city, had only two to three lifeguards in one shift to monitor the 8-km stretch.

Once the new decision is implemented, the city’s beaches will be manned by a total of 104 lifeguards.