Not just handful, but there are at least 200 of them who responded to the district administration's recent appeal to women to educate them on the basics of preventive and management measures in case of a war and met at the District Collectorate hall for the second time on Wednesday.

It was in the wake of a war-like situation in the Kargil sector that the city residents came to know more about the activities of civil defence activists, who shouldered the responsibility of maintaining calm within the city and checking activities of unscrupulous elements. It was also the time when the administration felt the need to have a separate wing of women volunteers for such a cause and for which appeals were made last week.

According to Wing chief, Additional Commissioner of Police Meera Ramniwas, girls and women from different economic, educational and professional backgrounds who have joined the wing would now be given three-day training in rescue and fire fighting operations.

Following the basics on `Why civil defence?', the activists would later be taught at least 12 courses on as fire safety and first aid. It is for the first time in the State that such a separate team of women activists was being formed in Vadodara, she said.

Still to undergo the training, the volunteers seem very enthusiastic in joining the wing. The reason, says a volunteer, Malini Shah, ``We know how much it takes to make a home and a society and how much it hurts us to see it breaking. Hence we are interested in saving it.''

She claims she was interested in joining the wing when she had to plead the neighbours to obey the administration's various instructions during the recent blackouts. Other volunteers, Sushila Sonawane and Sharda Brahmabhatt too echoed the same feeling.

Mahashweta Joshi, an employee of Telecom department here, Awi Sabawala, a management executive, and many more -- who know that conventional wars were rarely fought in modern times -- said that though rudimentaries about the different sorts of disasters were being discussed in the course, they were happy about the administration's stress on preventing internal sabotage than other issues.

Besides, two police inspectors who delivered lectures on the importance of keeping an eye on strangers and mobilising public support in the wake of emergencies, District Chief Warden B Kandoi and his deputy Suresh Patel remained present on the occasion.