THE SEA GUARDIAN LIFEGUARD

Saving lives: From Juhu to Bandra
Juhu-based voluntary lifeguard organisation promises no casualties if they get a speed boat
Kiran Tare
Instances of drowning are on rise at Bandra bandstand but the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has failed to appoint life guards on this stretch. While the BMC is yet to acknowledge the problem, a Juhu-based life guard organisation — Volunteers of The Sea Guardian Lifeguard — has claimed that if they are provided with a speed boat, there won’t be any casualties.Formed by the Koli community, the organtisation patrols six areas along the Juhu beach — the Juhu beach area, Centaur Hotel stretch, Hotel Holiday Inn stretch, Gandhigram, Godrej bungalow and the Rock beach. Due to their services, not a single incidence of drowning was reported last summer. Dressed in red and yellow uniforms and working in two shifts, the 22-member lifeguard team patrols the areas for 14 hours daily. President of the organisation, S Kanojia, said, “We have experienced swimmers, who know the sea well and understand water currents. In the last decade, the locals have saved around 3,000 people at Juhu beach and if we get a speed boat, I can assure that no one will drown at the Bandra bandstand too.”“With a speed boat we can reach bandstand in eight minutes. A sensor alarm, too, can help indicate the rising water levels. But we can’t afford them. Currently, members contribute from their own pockets and the lifeguards work on a voluntary basis. Although people appreciate our job, we do not get any financial support,” said Kanojia.BMC chief health officer Jayraj Thanekar said, “We have appointed life guards at various beaches. We also have put informative boards there. ButBandstand is not a beach. We cannot appoint life guards there.”