German Bakery blast: Drivers await police commendation certificates

A year after the German Bakery bomb blast, the Pune Ambulance Association (PAA) which played a crucial role in the rescue operations, is still awaiting participation certificates from the Pune police as a token of appreciation.

Vice-president of PAA Mohammad, Rafique Mulla, told DNA that they had been approaching the Pune police intermittently for the last one year for the certificates. “Each time, we approach the police, they send us back empty-handed,’’ he said.

According to Mulla, nine ambulances from their association had ferried the injured victims to the hospital and provided them first aid.

President, PAA, Balasaheb Hingane, said, “Policemen, hospital workers and various organisations have been feted, but we have been ignored."

According to Hingane, the PAA did not expect any monetary benefits. “We just want a piece of paper with our names on it," Hingane said.

PAA member, Mohammad Babu, said ambulance drivers went through a lot of anxiety while saving victims. “We drivers not only ferry patients, we also pick up the injured and also bodies in
emergencies," Babu said.

Babu was of the opinion that ambulances should be provided with a paramedic each to handle emergencies better.