Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, July 31: Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today approved the first-ever Disaster Management Plan in the State in an effort to reduce the vulnerability to hazards and cope with disasters and natural calamities in a more effective manner.
“In a significant decision aimed at building capacities to effectively meet furies of nature, the Chief Minister granted approval to the first-ever State Disaster Management Plan (SDMP) to reduce the vulnerability to hazards and enhance human and institutional capability to cope with disasters and natural calamities in a more effective manner,” an official spokesman said.
He said Sayeed, who also heads the SDMA, the plan was long overdue as there were lessons to be learnt from the devastating floods of 2014 in terms of real-time rescue missions for timely evacuation of people.
The Chief Minister made these remarks while chairing a high-level meeting of the State Disaster Management Authority here, the spokesman said.
Laying stress on well-laid down Standing Operating Procedures (SOPs) while dealing with calamities, the Chief Minister exuded confidence that the new disaster management plan, prepared by Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) Mumbai, will work to identify and anticipate potential risks and ensure continuity in critical operations post-incident.
The Chief Minister issued directions for incorporating a divisional-level authority in the State’s Disaster Management framework for better coordination between districts in case of calamities and emergencies.
He also placed high-priority on forging alliance between the Government and public for better disaster management, especially in a State like Jammu and Kashmir which is extremely vulnerable to natural disasters like floods, earthquakes and cloudbursts.
While briefing the Chief Minister about SDMP, Commissioner Secretary, Relief and Rehabilitation, Dheeraj Gupta, said the plan comprehensively covers the entire gamut of operations related to disaster risk reduction activities in the entire State.
“It envisaged setting up of Emergency Operations’ Centres (EOCs) at divisional and district levels and ensuring adequate framework for Disaster Governance, including funds generation mechanism, by taking onboard all stakeholders in a structured and time-bound manner,” Gupta said.
He said a special provision has been kept in the plan for developing human resources and their capacities by utilizing expertise of professional agencies like NDMA and NDRF.
A team of TISS experts also made a detailed presentation highlighting the risk and vulnerability profile, preventive and preparedness measures, disaster response, besides rehabilitation and reconstruction issues, the spokesman said.
The SOPs enlisted in the plan cover entire range of disasters including earthquakes, floods, landslides, avalanches, windstorms, cloudbursts, drought, fires and biological and human-induced disasters, the spokesman said.
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