PIONEER NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun
A mock drill was held in various parts of the State on Thursday to check disaster preparedness for the Char Dham Yatra slated to begin on April 30. The Disaster Management secretary Vinod Kumar Suman claimed that the authorities had been successful in meeting the aim for which the drill was held. Steps will be taken to soon resolve shortcomings wherever they were found, he said.
On the directions of chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, a joint mock drill was conducted by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA). The main focus of the mock drill was the districts where the Char Dham Yatra is conducted. Officials said that the preparations of various departments concerned for the Yatra were checked in the mock drill. Officials of the NDMA gave important suggestions to resolve the shortcomings which emerged during the exercise.
The mock drill exercise carried out under the close monitoring of the NDMA was conducted at various locations in the main Yatra districts Uttarkashi, Chamoli and Rudraprayag along with the transit districts of Dehradun, Haridwar, Pauri and Tehri. Held under the Incident Response System (IRS), the exercise was helpful in ascertaining the preparations of various departments at the ground level, officials said. The mock drill was coordinated from the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) in Dehradun.
State advisory committee (Disaster Management) vice chairman Vinod Kumar Ruhela said that the exercise will help in further strengthening the Yatra arrangements. He said that the CM is reviewing the arrangements of every department for the pilgrimage to ensure that the visitors do not face any inconvenience.
Suman said that the drill was aimed at bringing all linear departments on one platform to ensure efficient response to any disaster or accident during the Yatra. He stated that the exercise was successful in meeting this purpose to a large extent. Suman claimed that there was good coordination among various departments, adding that the few shortcomings noticed will be resolved before the start of the Yatra.
NDMA lead consultant major general (retd) Sudhir Bahl and other officials concerned were also present on the occasion.
School & hospital directed to make disaster management plan
DEHRADUAN: The NDMA lead consultant major general (retd) Sudhir Bahl directed a school and the district hospital management to prepare their disaster management plans. During the mock drill held on Thursday, the NDMA team inspected the Bannu School in the Race Course area. Bahl directed the school principal to prepare a disaster management plan and exit plan for the school. He said that mock drills should be held in school every month for earthquake and other disaster scenarios. Further, the students should also be trained in administering first-aid so that they can also help others in case of emergencies. He also directed that an earthquake siren should also be installed in the school. The NDMA team also visited the Deen Dayal Upadhyay district hospital. The hospital management was also directed to prepare a disaster management plan.
NDMA gives various suggestions for Char Dham Yatra
DEHRADUN: Various suggestions were received from the NDMA regarding the Char Dham Yatra after the mock drill on The NDMA lead consultant major general (retd) Sudhir Bahl said that the State and district emergency operations centres should have feed from the police and Tourism department control rooms in order to expand the monitoring. The pilgrims should be encouraged to download the Char Dham Yatra application and arrangements should be made to provide weather forecast and weather alerts to pilgrims through this app. Information about the traffic management plan should also be provided through this means so that they are aware of traffic jams and the condition of alternative routes. Providing information about landslides on this app is also important. Further, to prevent inconvenience to large numbers of pilgrims due to landslides or traffic jams, holding areas should be identified to halt vehicles. Bahl said that signage must be placed in areas vulnerable to disaster and in danger zones. Fire safety audits should be conducted mandatorily in hotels and Dharmshalas. Mechanical excavators and other equipment should be deployed within a two-kilometre radius of landslide zones so that blocked roads can be reopened in time. He also directed the department concerned to make alternative arrangements in no-network zones so that travellers can get help in emergency situations.
