KARACHI, Feb 8: As the city experiences a surge in bomb scares and the citizens become increasingly dependent on the services of the Bomb Disposal Unit, most people remain ignorant of the fact that the equipment employed by the unit to detect bombs is outdated and does not work most of the time, official sources told Dawn.

A recently prepared report submitted to the SSP security of the Sindh police’s Special Branch by lower-ranking officers points out the lack of equipment possessed by the unit and the non-functioning of some of the most important and sensitive instruments to detect bombs and explosive substances.

“Since there is no alternative, the BDU is bound to work with the same outdated equipment,” said a source citing the recent correspondence within the Central Police Office.

“The issue has been raised several times and finally last month (in January), a report was submitted to the high-ups. The report contains the details of each and every piece of equipment and its defect. The unit also asked for new stuff amid growing scares,” he said.

He pointed out that, currently, the BDU owned four Gravity Vapour Detectors (GVDs), which could not be relied upon for their utilities. “The GVD is an instrument that detects vapours emanating from any explosive substance,” he added.

“All the equipment with the BDU works, but not always,” he said. “So the unit can’t rely on such equipment when there is a bomb threat. This was mentioned in the report sent to the SSP security.”

Similarly, the unit possessed only three units of a gadget known as ‘Explosive Finder 152,’ he said, adding that one of the three units had been permanently placed at Bilawal House after the Oct 18 bomb attacks on Benazir Bhutto’s welcome homecoming convoy near Karsaz.

“So, at the moment, there are only two Explosive Finder 152 units at the Karachians’ service. Speaking realistically, the BDU needs at least 15 such gadgets,” added the source, referring to estimates made by the BDU officials.

Devastating rumours

Of late the city has witnessed a series of hoax bomb calls, which have sent ripples of fear and concern right from the common man to the police authorities. Rumours started circulating right after the three-day mourning of Benazir Bhutto’s assassination.

On the first day of the year, life in the city came to a halt when a rumour quickly spread that the headquarters of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement at Nine Zero had been attacked.

After more than a month, the trend continues with no end in sight, while there is no clue about the people behind the hoaxes. The bomb scares have so far affected the Karachi Stock Exchange, government buildings and several schools.

A bomb threat, delivered to one of the city’s boarding schools last month, also forced the management to send 300 boarders back to their homes in different parts of the country and close their facility temporarily. Despite hitting the headlines, the news has so far not inspired the authorities concerned to upgrade the most sensitive department of the police handling such scares.

“The BDU also has some five bomb detectors, which were acquired a long time ago. Their quality could be ascertained through such facts,” said the source. “Interestingly, the BDU does not have any sensor, which has been very effective for such tasks, neither has it ever bothered to acquire such a facility.”He said on an average, the ill-equipped department had been handling three to four such scares a week, which also included clearance of several local and international flights with the same outdated instruments.

“There is no response so far from the higher authorities despite several requests. The BDU has lately cleared a domestic flight, but the effectiveness of its performance with such equipment cannot be guaranteed,” he added.

‘Immobile’ unit

The source said the BDU originally owned five mobile vans, which are supposed to rush to the site of a suspected bomb scare. However, out of the total five, three vans have been lying non-functional in the workshop for the last several months, he added.

“So the unit relies on two old mobiles, which sometimes do not move as fast as required at a particular time,” he said. “The situation is very clear to the high-ups and doesn’t need to be reiterated time and again through correspondence. But still it has been done several times, but in vain.”

He said the two mobiles available with the BDU do not have any siren fixed on their roofs to warn traffic. “Most of the time when the mobile gets stuck in a traffic jam, one, or sometimes a couple of officers get out of the mobile and handle the traffic manually to make space for the van,” he added.

“The BDU officials need to convince and explain to other drivers in gridlock about the importance and sensitivity of the task they are trying to handle, which helps the team reach the spot in a timely manner,” he said.