Safety of Char Dham pilgrims top priority, says Kaushik while reviewing mock drill
PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
Disaster Management and Rehabilitation minister Madan Kaushik said that the safety of Char Dham pilgrims is a top priority for the government. Reviewing a mock drill held by National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA) in all seven districts of Garhwal on Friday ahead of the start of the Yatra, Kaushik said that the disaster management system has come a long way since the 2013 Kedarnath disaster. There has been consistent improvement in the disaster response capability, early warning arrangement, institutional coordination and rescue and relief resources. Stating that the government is committed to a safe, convenient and systematic Yatra, elaborate arrangements have been made under the guidance of chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.
Hypothetical disaster scenarios were staged in 50 locations with the involvement of various government agencies and a focus on community participation. Kaushik virtually interacted with incident commanders, officers concerned, sector in-charges and field teams
In Dehradun, NDMA lead consultant major general (retd) Sudhir Bahl led an expert team to check the situation at various locations during the mock drill. The team visited the Sahastradhara helipad where they checked the various aspects of helicopter services. Visiting Sapera Basti, the experts check response to a flood scenario in the Rispana river. The team later visited the district hospital where it inspected responses to an emergency situation like increased patient numbers, emergency treatment, arrangements for additional beds, oxygen support, referral management and other aspects. Detailed discussions were also held with the hospital administration on crisis management, availability of resources and maintaining the continuity of health services in a disaster scenario.
In the Rudraprayag district, response to a helicopter flight in an emergency situation was practised at Kedarnath helipad. The rescue team along with other departmental personnel tackled the situation. In the Chamoli district, a scenario of pilgrims being stranded on Badrinath-Govindghat route due to sudden heavy snowfall and avalanche was staged with various aspects tackled during the exercise. Similarly, the bursting of a glacial lake in the Gangotri area was staged in Uttarkashi and various actions were taken to deal with the situation. Mock exercises were also held at the Rishikesh transit camp in Dehradun district, at Srinagar in Pauri and at Devprayag in Tehri district.
