Neha listened intently to his plan, pondering as she repeated it softly.
A middle-aged man with a square face and black-frad glasses suddenly spoke, "I am the municipal mayor of Calcutta. Our city is divided into north, central, and south districts; the northern district is the largest in area and the slum areas are the most densely populated. I’m afraid the central and southern districts can’t accommodate that many civilians."
"That’s why I have another plan."
Gu Ji placed his finger at the end of a thin blue line on the satellite map. This line was the Hugli River, and the location he pointed to...
"Calcutta Pier?"
Several governnt officials responded in unison.
That’s right.
His third route is indeed by water!
Calcutta is the largest river port in eastern India, with the bustling Calcutta and Haldia Piers. They handle dostic and international freight operations, connect Calcutta with its twin city Howrah by ferry, and serve as a seaport for the landlocked nations of Nepal, Bhutan, and Sikkim.
Therefore, this port has nurous comrcial and cargo ships.
The municipal mayor ntioned that those civilians who cannot be accommodated in the central and southern districts could be temporarily housed in port ships through the mobilization of the port authority to provide disaster relief.
After hearing the entire evacuation plan, Neha thought it over briefly and found it quite feasible.
Only then did she understand why the chief secretary valued Gu Ji so much over the phone. She didn’t expect soone so young to have such rich experience in handling ergency disaster responses. However, she still sought opinions and thoughts from the others around her, especially the mbers of the council.
But everyone was hesitant.
Although Calcutta is the town they govern and protect, it would be hard to ensure that no mistakes occur if the northern slum dwellers are crowded together with the municipal elites.
Unexpectedly, at that mont, a senior Indian police officer wearing a yellow police uniform and slightly overweight raised his hand.
"I support Mr. Vidhi’s proposal. My subordinates once told that his command at the Farakka Dam was outstanding. If it weren’t for him, it would have been impossible for the riot in East Midnapore District to be quelled so quickly by the riot squad, so I choose to trust him!"
He turned out to be the Minister of the State Police Headquarters.
Because Gu Ji consistently requested Lanate to send additional riot squad support, the Police Headquarters Minister was most aware of what occurred at the Farakka Dam. In his heart, he was grateful for Gu Ji’s command, which restored the dignity of the special district police station, which is why he was the first to stand up and support at this critical mont.
Several suited mbers of the council whispered to each other.
In the end, Gu Ji’s ergency response plan was unanimously approved by the state governnt and municipal authorities.
But Neha’s furrowed brows still did not relax.
"What we need most now is personnel. To relocate these 16 million people to a safe place, the mobilization effort required will be downright hellish."
"I have thought of a solution for this. I’ve already asked Colonel Swaraj to report to the Eastern Military Region, hoping to send troop soldiers into the town to assist the municipal agencies with the transfer plan."
As Gu Ji spoke, Marlo walked up beside him and whispered in his ear, "The staff departnt has agreed to deploy 36 army battalions to support."
In India’s federal autonomous system, states typically dislike central military intervention.
Assam, the Midnapore Special Zone, and especially Calcutta are no exceptions.
The ntion of deploying the army into the city sparked hesitation among the council mbers regarding the implentation of the plan.
"Trust , to help Calcutta through this crisis, the army’s assistance is indispensable. They have unparalleled rapid response capabilities, strong organizational and mobilization capacities, and specialized rescue skills, unmatched by ordinary police and fire departnts."
"I have already explained to the colonel and staff departnt the responsibilities and tasks of the military district units involved in the rescue operations. They are solely responsible for rescuing, transferring, or evacuating trapped individuals; securing important targets; rescuing and transporting crucial supplies; participating in road and bridge repairs, water rescues, dical aid, and other specialized ergency actions; and eliminating or controlling other critical hazards or disasters. Any other important operations will be coordinated with the municipal command center before execution."
To dispel the concerns of these state governnt officials, Gu Ji made the military’s responsibilities and tasks explicitly clear.
The implication being that the army will not bypass the municipal authorities to act independently or vie for credits or power.
Perhaps it was his remark about "securing important targets" that caught the council mbers’ attention. After all, everyone has family and friends. In the end, they reluctantly agreed to Gu Ji’s proposal to involve the military.
"Then let’s begin imdiately. I’ll join the council at the municipal headquarters command center; all departnt units should promptly implent the Level I ergency response plan!"
"Understood!"
At the order, all officials returned to their vehicles.
Gu Ji and Fatima followed Marlo into the military-prepared SUV, heading toward the Hugli Riverfront to help the fire brigade evacuate the praying worshipers.
The Hugli River, flowing through Calcutta, is a tributary of the Ganges River. Devout Hindus regard the Ganges as a sacred river, believing its waters can cleanse the sins of the soul, making bathing an essential daily religious ritual.
Every morning, flocks of Hindus co to the banks of the Hugli River, covering themselves in river mud, praying, and then washing themselves clean with clear water, believing it purifies their body and soul. This is also what Gu Ji observed from the helicopter, those praying people.
As the proposer of the plan and the liaison between Calcutta’s municipal authorities and the officials of the Eastern Military Region, Gu Ji had no choice but to act alongside the military personnel, especially as his sub-objective had not yet indicated completion, signifying the task was far from over.
Fatima made several consecutive phone calls in the car, turning to speak only after the last call ended.
"Mr. Vidhi, I’ve reported everything you assigned to the minister, and the Cabinet Secretariat is aware of it. The Pri Minister places a high priority on this matter and has just ordered additional deploynt of naval units and disaster ergency response forces to support us."
"That’s great news, the more rescue personnel, the better."
As Gu Ji spoke, they were about to reach the riverbank when the vehicle suddenly ca to a halt.
Marlo, in the passenger seat, looked up, glancing forward.
"What’s happening, why aren’t we moving?"
"Report Captain, it seems there’s been an accident at the intersection ahead. The drivers on both sides are having a dispute, and many vehicles are blocked here,"
the driver replied after taking a couple of glances outside the window.
"There’s no ti to wait, honk the horn, get the vehicles to make way, and push through."
Marlo’s approach was as straightforward and rough as his appearance, characteristic of their special border force’s operational style, which prioritizes the mission above all else.
This approach is also why state governnts and municipal authorities generally dislike the military, as their different ways of operating often result in various conflicts and frictions.
Thus, the driver followed Marlo’s orders, honking the horn incessantly while navigating toward the air raid site.
This behavior quickly provoked dissatisfaction among nearby drivers, who rolled down their windows, furiously pounding on their car doors to vent their frustrations. What Marlo least expected was that the worshippers near the riverbank, who were praying, surrounded them, furiously banging on the hood and shouting curses due to the disruption caused by the indiscriminate honking.
The number of arguing worshippers on the road kept multiplying.
Ten, thirty, fifty...
Gu Ji hadn’t anticipated these Hindu worshippers to be so fervent, and the previously congested traffic had now reached a complete standstill, becoming a large-scale shouting match on the street.
Bang bang bang bang!
Listening to the pounding outside the car, Fatima turned to Gu Ji: "What should we do now?"
Woo—buzz—!
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