Calcutta, April 4: Calcutta Police and the Sea Explorers’ Institute (SEI) have taken the plunge for underwater diving training.

On completion of the training module, the select police personnel will be deployed in rescue operations in case of a boat capsize or attempts by individuals to commit suicide by jumping into the Hooghly.

Four Rapid Action Force (RAF) jawans have already gone through a course conducted by the centre for maritime training, research and exploration at Beleghata’s Subhas Sarobar.

According to joint commissioner of armed police Shivaji Ghosh, the four jawans now fit to be pressed into underwater salvage operations are Arun Biswas, Surajit Mandal, Kanailal Singh and Surajit Kumar Dutta.

“The training will be truly effective for our boys, as experts from the Indian Navy are also involved in the programme. Our boys will be able to carry out extensive rescue operations in the Hooghly,” said Ghosh.

A city police officer said 21 cases of drowning were reported in the city during the past year and it was difficult to carry out rescue operation in the absence of expert divers in the force.

“Moreover, we require expert divers during the Durga puja bhashans, when both sides of the Hooghly are flooded with puja organisers immersing the idols,” the officer added.

The maximum number of drowning cases was reported in 2000, with 66 cases filed with the city police and 687 with police stations across the state.

Ullas Chakraborty, a senior RAF official, said his men were ready to undertake any major operation in the Hooghly in case of any emergency, thanks to the “four specially-trained divers”.

SEI is the first non-government organisation to carry out such an extensive training programme for policemen.

Sheuli Chatterjee, SEI general secretary, said the programme is conducted in a 10-metre-deep training tank at Subhas Sarobar.“We provide equipment like helmets and masks, compressors, pneumatic and hydraulic tools, communication equipment, underwater video system, cutting and welding system. Most of our equipment is from Germany and they are especially geared for the training programme,” explained Chatterjee.

She said the training programme included a mock rescue operation, in which a heavy object is immersed in the lake and the divers are told to bring it back to the surface within a stipulated period of time.

“The water wing of the South Bengal Frontier of the Border Security Force (BSF) has contacted us about a training programme for their jawans, too. That should take place soon,” added Chatterjee.

The institute has so far received Rs 9 lakh from the ocean development department of the Centre for running the course.