High Commission of India

Mauritius

PRESS RELEASE

Handing over of Trailer Mounted Flood Pumps and LPG Fired Incinerators

An official ceremony for the handing over of Trailer Mounted Flood Pumps and LPG-Fired Incinerators was held yesterday, 21^st December 2021, at the Coramandel Fire Station. The event was organized by the Ministry of Local Government and Disaster Risk Management in collaboration with the High Commission of India and Mauritius Fire and Rescue Service. The event was graced by Dr. The Hon. M. Anwar Husnoo, Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Local Government and Disaster Risk Management, and H.E. Mrs. K. Nandini Singla, High Commissioner of India to Mauritius. Also present on the occasion were Lord Mayor of Port Louis; Mayors of Municipal Council of Beau Bassin-Rose Hill and Vacoas-Phoenix; Chairpersons of District Councils of Black River, Moka, Flacq and Grand Port; the Chief Fire Officer, Mauritius Fire and Rescue Service; and Senior Officials of the Government of Mauritius.

During the ceremony, High Commissioner handed over the 13 Trailer Mounted Flood Pumps and 16 LPG-Fired Human Incinerators – both procured under the Line of Credit of USD 500 million extended by the Government of India to the Government of Mauritius in 2017. The equipment were procured from two Indian firms - M/s. New Age Fire Fighting Ltd. and M/s. Kanta Electricals, respectively.

Addressing the gathering on the occasion, High Commissioner of India to Mauritius, H.E. Mrs. K. Nandini Singla expressed her satisfaction regarding the completion of the handover, despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. She noted that the successful completion of the two projects will go a long way in augmenting capabilities of Mauritius Fire & Rescue Service and the Local Councils in effectively discharging their duties. She also listed out other development project initiatives that are in the pipeline as well as new projects that will be undertaken in 2022.  The Hon. Vice-Prime Minister, in his remarks, expressed gratitude and appreciation to the Indian Authorities for their support in materialisation of the projects. He further emphasized that India has always extended its support to Mauritius whenever there was a need and underscored India’s assistance during the COVID pandemic, including supply of vaccines despite huge domestic requirements. He also recollected India’s assistance towards the construction of New ENT Hospital which has been playing a crucial role in the efforts made by the Government of Mauritius in its fight against COVID. He specifically noted that the Trailer Mounted Flood Pumps will help the fire-fighters in delivering better services and decrease the actual response time to attend to an incident site. Similarly, he underscored that the 16 LPG-Fired Incinerators have helped Mauritius in upgrading its network of Incinerators that will now provide enhanced burial services.

The event also included a demonstration of the newly acquired Trailer Mounted Flood Pumps and Articulated Hydraulic Platform (procured by MFRS) for the participants. In all, there were 45 participants at the event, from the Government of Mauritius, the High Commission of India, the Indian Companies and other stakeholders, fully adhering to the prevailing sanitary protocols.

The event symbolizes yet another remarkable example of the successful partnership between India and Mauritius.

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22 December 2021